the voice of reason: special combined edition!
by Minaj-a-twah
Summary: hers this wer oe hers ewhat i have o far of it gets any longer i might just seoerate it in to a 2 parter wel see all done now i might go edit thius serioes some time laterbut i dopnp i gues ill se lagter if i wanna redio it ykater i dno i se i guess REVISED ABD COMPLETE! updated slightly


**_the final hours are about to begin. loaw veen ontonycterys taunts the good furys now scattered to all corners of the land while her folowers hunt them down to buold her army in surely baiting the foces of good to come together to obliterate her once and for all. korins own mother, turned against them as a tool of the master. his three best friends able to lend help in dire situations like these; gone. one nest ruler, a few night furys and the dual threat of loaw azeros running amok in the shadows and the clear seemingly omnipresence of ontonycterys ruling over all from her place in korins nest, his home, spawns doom for all. unless a last desperate cry for a war to end all wars can be created in so little time. this is their story_**

korgan flew with his defeated and driven back band of followers sent to meet and if possible to destroy a particular noteworthy cluster of assorted dragons near the present realm of burn-to-the-ground nightmares, a bit of a surprise to find night furys there, even more so loaw azeros, his former leader attacking them, downing two of their number. what troubled korgan was why? whyd one of their own do such a thing? they unanimously share the same belief didnt they? was the dragon in fact a traitor? perhaps his leaderd fulfill some of those questions when they submitted their report. this mind linking to directly communicate telepathically with another bound through the night sky was beyond korgan. hows one supposed to learn that? every follower could hear its creator of course.

"truusssst. let the belief in your massster and through otherssss flow. then you ssshall find the sssecret. the white dragon found itsss way to me many cyclesss ago." huh. interesting. a white night fury"? korgand have to seek this soul. their rest of their uneventful flight to the pillar of massive rick his leader claimed she captured from their enemy through careful planning rose before him. all followers needn't be present, as if the words were spoken aloud all but him and another swerved away to his others already here, korgan and his companion heading directly for the cave with two hulking furys in front of it. there they were, sitting like alert sentinels, wings folded back eyes darting about. korgan didnt know if they were chosen because of their masculinity in the body type to scare away trouble or not, but he was told it was protection from...traitorous leaders, nothing more.

one jetted out to meet therm, a brute bigger then most followers. but not larger then deathbringer alterious "halt. state your business entering this cave; all visits must go through us before entry. were on alert for a traitor in our midst" witch is what they always said. "im here to see our great leader. theirs news shed be grateful to hear. she told us to report back." before the guard could inquire further a voice reverberated from inside, ringing authoritative wisdom. "let them through! theryre expected!" the brute hesitantly hovered aside creating a path. loaw veen ontonycterys, fith leader to the god resurrections movement, a fith attempt at making things right, was waiting for them, Talons scratching into the stone where she sat. she didnt rise her head to greet korgan and his companion when landed. before korgan even opened his jaws to report ontonycterys was there, as she usually was.

"you know theres an interesting observation about losing. if one is smart on their outlook its never really a loss, rather a...Revelation. you gain something for surviving another moonlit night. information. knowledge. kea components the enemy plan they knew thus previous you did not. often it is worth the occasional scale or eye for that knowledge, even a life or two. sacrifices sometimes have to be made" korgan waited her out. loaw veen nodded approvingly looking up. "theirs nothing more infuriating two things: an unworthy opponent or leaving unscathed from a scuffle lacking vital knowledge. that is one thing i cannot stand. learning is everything. if one does not learn and adapt one does not live long to influence things to their advantage." "we were caught by surprise. loaw azeros came from nowhere to stun two of us. we were prepared to face these intended opposition as you trained us but not him. they didn't make it im afraid." said the other follower before korgan could stop him.

something just the tiniest jerk of something shivered through ontonycterys, causing her flattened backspines to jerk slightly stiff them relaxed: anger. it was enough to hint at agitation. but that was it. all she uttered was "interesting" and gestured at korgan. "as he said we easily tracked the blinds posse to the volcano east of here. we found to our surprise the usurper trying to stage a coup that night fury with the deadly nadders. more surprising still we saw the nest ruler there, the one you told us to watch out for, in case the follower you dispatched to make it come to our side failed." ontonycterys eyes flashed. but...not in anger. something else. jigsawing together. _understanding._ "we counted four night furys, one gigantic massive with a black wingspan id never seen before. three deadly nadders, one emanating the aura of someone in charge. and...aranidae, great leader. cut into our force before we knew a fithd joined the battle. he seemed to go only after us, not the blind. he appeared to ignore and even protect them."

"i cannot be sure. then the monstrous nightmares came and we retreated before another surely re-occurrence of total annihilation occurred to any of us any further. their numbers i knew we could not beat." for precious seconds nothing was said. loaw veen arranged herself more regally. was she angry at his decision? korgan didnt think so. the leaders voice soft. "good my child. good. a wise tactical move in any situation. a move my subordinate you faced out there tought himself before my rise to power. better to plan your moves responsibly while still learning what you came for then be beaten or worse captured. monstrous nightmares even a few dozen are not to be trifled with. ive faced a few myself when i set out to liberate as many of yourselves as possible from copperwings oppressive claw. i know what they can do if enraged. what they are capable of. you were wise to come here at all speed" she correctly finished even though korgan hadnt mentioned that part. she rose to all fours wings unfurling to brush the walls of her private cave.

"anyhow, it is in the past, my old enemy has come home. come home and emboldened himself tove won his mother over with his patriotic charm. i was hoping perseverins overbearing pet of the sea mightve dulled it or broken it completely. you may have been sent back ridding the problem before his mismatched band reached their destination, however based on your turn of events there, i suspect the son of silverwing may have forged a deal with loaw azeros out of mutual benefit or need to fight on his side, for now. you spoke of the red beasts coming, but i can suspect my subordinate brought the nightmare horde to _them._ theryll no doubt gather under copperwings infectious passionate fight for freedom somewhere before the final battle. my outrageous former leader may be with them he may not, rather i guess his own motives at play." korgan sifted talons uncomfortable under his leaders constant cryptic riddling. "if thats true then shouldn't we take the fight to them wherever theyre gathered? if its a sizable force they shouldn't be hard to find." loaw veen appeared to consider then the edges of her jaw line hardened.

"if we strike first, yes maybe you would be right in teaching them a lesson. but ive studied my enemy. attacking the blind there will only serve to invigorate that wretched passion to defy us, Perhaps even beat us. a strategist playing her pebbles well, with the knowledge even at her best, her forces are outnumbered, is foolish. no, well let them take the battle to us. if the former nest ruler who left this place not of will by creatures numbering into the countless millions not by choise wants this nest again, hell have to take it by force. we will use these rocky caves as our rightful moral ground. all troubles have a solution. this one calls for one. meet our newest believer my child. a little accident by one of my subordinates made this happen." ontonycterys stepped to one side and gestured to the semi blackness behind her, mildly enjoying the visible stiffening of both followers. the air crackled suddenly with static electricity, little sparks jumping around the crowned face of the young skrill: wer evakyl Andorra.

* * *

denix-replay woke up abruptly, feeling like someoned positively stepped all over her, particularly her head, irrational and downright irritable. her senses swam as if underwater? was she underwater? voices seemed to float around her, teasing her auditory system. normally so Sharp now so dull and far away. she made as if to roll over, feeling gravity underneath her and hissed mouthing a curse. and the pin sharp something that pierced awfully terrible in her yellow undertummy. shed admitted shed gotten off on the lucky tailfin up until now in battles with the corrupt. lost a scale or two. gotten scratched up sometimes deeply. but not near death like this. shed always played off the subject as a hide and go battle incident, something little night fury dragonetsd do. not like this. faced with the reality shed not nearly woken up from, perhaps the situation was far volatile then shed givin it credit for. for crying out loud! "ugh that creep" she thought.

the voices swam around her senses stopped their babble. she realized shed spoken aloud. "loaw azeros. dirty cheating no good rotten camel spit. that vermin. did he send me to dragon heaven, my spirit floating around somewhere? or is this our species version of bad afterlife? because it sure doesnt feel like it. unless it is vipres nasty version of it to torture me." now that she mentioned it the...whatever she lay/floated on was...warm almost bordering hot to the touch. "for dragonsake: this _is_ the bad afterlife! i am dead!" her senses cleared a tad to behold what appeared to be rocky cilling (some sort of cave maybe?) and another night furys emerald eyes looking down into her own. not aranidaes. these eyes were kind, kinder them almost any denix-replayed glimpsed on a fury, and its head was bigger.

"no. calm down. this is the home of the crazy red destructive creatures" spoke torrid, completely missing the cynical look a young female directer gave her, Mildly offended. "at least i think so. my memories a bit crooked myself during my forgetful state. you are quite alive my deeply wounded friend. i fixed you up and cleaned the liquid oozing all over the place. trust me youre quite safe." the flash of pain denix felt when attempting rising made her mutter the words without thinking making her wish she had. "what are you? my mother?" torrids snout looked puzzled not insulted. "i do not understand. but actually my son is over there discussing the plans and stuff way over my experience. i guess i am a mother to him. are you well?" denix scowled irritated this unnamed furys face blurred too close for comfort. "no i am not well. back off will ya? dont you know personal space for dragonsake youre as bad next to copperwingthefury as you are to me. its like im breathing the air right out of yer lungs. jeez." this time torrid definitely detected the jibe there. "hey copper! son! i think you should take care of this one. your rather rude friend whose name is not familiar to me is awake!"

making guilt as well as everything else wash over the yellow stomached dragoness. shes supposed to me working on this 'manners' thing. moments later the teenage furys snout was there, thankfully to the side. she asked whats happening. copperwings snout just stared at her looking utterly relieved or some reason. "well?" he filed her in on events, that being not much. they were planning on gathering as many willing monstrous nightmares to fight the last battle with the deadly nadders, of sabrinathemorphers under him against loaw veen, despite their common dislike of eatchother. in five days theyd meet with however many night furys of his colony he could muster. many creatures beyond his call to war were welcome. hed politely asked both nadders and nightmares spread his invitation far and wide. sleuther the infected nightmare denix reverenced, slugging it out a few times no thanks to aranidaes cunning wit to terminate her.

sleuthers wings were bound and the nightmares were dealing with her trying to decide if she should remain in charge. the other directors apparently tossed her into the leftover magma pit inside the volcano, and if she didnt scream in pain she was alright. or something like that anyway. the directors in discussion with him informed they had it managed and refused to elaborate. denix made a sound to cut off his words that were not necessarily important to the dragoness. "woa woa woa there kid. thats nice. great really that youve got it merrily planned out so peacy. but arent we focusing on the wrong problem? shouldn't we be figuring out how to defeat vipre instead? hes obviously the brains of the dragons sucked in by the stars. make him good? though at this point i hedge in that aspect, seeing all the fresh evil hes done lately"

korin shook his head negatively. "no i think seleena is problem. if targeting her head on and defeat her all the rest shall be easier to free. dont get me wrong, nest sister, aranidae is very troublesome. almost killed you, thank dragonkind youre alive. but he was leader _in his day_. sleleena is the supreme one now. she made that very clear." "whose seleena?" korin sighed and explained that to her. "look the others are waiting for me to stragetize the finality of my plan. you look better." denix made a face; apparently _no one_ understood what _in great pain_ and _not well_ meant. "do you want my mother to look after after you? you lost alot of vermilion. its all around you. torrid took care of the stuff as best carefully as she could. if youd like to join us do take a dip in a river. you look...well...not great. youre mostly red down there. you shouldn't go alone though."

denixs response was a derisive huff. korins tone was firm. authoritative. bossy. she hated that tone. "just in case. we wouldnt want vipre targeting you after mother healed you. well that and the heat this rock gives off." she lay back down closing her eyes letting her paws rest against her more-red-then-yellow chest. "i hope he does come after me. itd serve the scrawny black wretch right for the constant harassment hes dealt on all of us. ive had about more then i can take. someone either needs to free him, and this time if hes a forgetful cactus in scales i am **not** looking after him, or take one of those spikes from his tail and shove it up his...you know. right now im taking my rest. i swear if im disturbed i **will** dismember their wings." korin couldn't suppress a smile as he tramped back to the meeting. good ol denix-replay was back. maybe thingsd be bright after all.

* * *

a huge band of obviously noticeable monstrous nightmares deadly nadders and korins band of dragon, torrid, denix-replay. but not as a group. seperately. according to the ex nest ruler. a plan denix griped about, still grouchy over. "im still not happy, i tell you, if some dragon intends you harm for no reason apparently, you bet i get to inflict some scale shredding back. how is trickling trough the land inevitably supposed to lure vipre?" korin gave her a look looking as if he debated telling her or not. "its simple. one of usll eventually stumble across him. i advised our allies to be extra through in searching every unturned stone. the nest ruler of the nadders promised shed return to her flock and have them join the search. the more dragons we have sifting through the lands occupants the better our chances. i talked them what to watch out for. with that many scouring the surface its not long before one finds him." denix touched her undertummy telling the injury there beginning to understand. theyd have a scare. "or he finds them."

"exactly. then theyll make him angry enough to chaise the bait where we are going. well be lying in wait in a forest clearing." "and do nothing? just...lie still for hours?" she inquired, disgruntled. "or days" threw in dragon extremely unhelpfully. "how are we supposed to do that? wait: why wasn't i informed of this stupendously boring arrangement?" korin was going to answer because it was just that: boring, when torrid looked over, as if the answer should've been blindingly clear. "you are now arent you? you didnt want to. as i recall your taking a nap after i healed you and demanded not to be disturbed. said youd dismember our wings if we did." she finished completely straight-faced. "isnt that right big boy?" "yep. she sounded demanding to me" agreed dragon only half listening, denixs snout crinkled. "hey i heard the tease buried there. ill have you two hissyfitterss know i didnt **demand...** arrgh you know what i mean. if i didnt know any better id say the two of you were mocking me. but im too frustrated right now, so i cant exactly tell...or care."

this time korins mother couldn't resist pressing it much to her sons chargin. "tell what, my dear?" the attitudinal dragoness shot ahead of the others in response. muttering something like "idiots. they have the gall to tell _me_ stuff, when its obvious a day or so ago they couldn't remember _anything._ dumber then dirt. the lot of them. i had the brains long before them." "mother can you not? i think my nest sister is trying turn over a new scale. i sense it. something possibly vipre her near death experiences thrust that into her. your barbs dont help. give her space. thats what she needs. i remember something back at the camp when i was telling my tales (another story copperwings trials by before) valdis noted something ill not forget. what was it? deep down denix is scared of others not liking her. so she throws up this front to shield others and herself from her vulnerable shivery core."

"she mustve experienced as bad situation to wall herself in. she wants to show the land that side of her but shes been in deep denial about it she doesn't know any other recourse. until her run ins with vipre woke that core. dragons like her need their space. let her be. she will stay with us. she doesn't want to be isolated from us, perhaps meet him again. shes a complex fury. at the same time ive figured her out. mother?" "whatever you say my son. this is your operation. ill follow it loyally." korin stared at dragon until he felt the attention, craning his huge bulky head. "yes?" "you promise to leave my nest sister alone?" dragon shrugged agreeably. why did torrids words send a shiver of foreboding down his tail? they talked and flew, talked and flew to a clearing in a heavily forested part of the land, surrounding a wide grassy clearing. the groan from denix replay, as if it hadn't quite been an accident it came out that loud that far away, was more then prevalent. this be the area of aranidaes last stand as a pawn of evil. his ploy would end here and copperwingthefuryd certainly do everything in his power to cement its reality.

* * *

the large clearing, big enough for five night furys or two smallish monstrous nightmares to land wingtip to wingtip, was eerily empty of life. or so it was meticulously made to appear. one creature insisted on making quite a racket in its assigned tree, probably on purpose to indicate its displeasure, despite korins attempt to shut her up. "how much longer?" called denix replay to whoever of the three furys were listening, scratching treebark out of her roost with a bored swipe. "every smart soul should not fall for a track sad dumb as this. this plan is so lame. yipee." korin cringed, long ago not-quite-whispering back for her to stop giving her position away. no one answered her. "fine then. ill go take a nap. _again_. wake me up when apocalyptic events _not_ winging its here to be magically trapped occurs." said the tree, going quiet.

copperwing himself lay on a sturdy branch of his own leafy tree, ear frills alert for any unusual sound. he admitted to himself yes doing not much was aggravating. being in motion suited him more. but in self restraint lay the kea. ontonycterys was patient. aranidae even more so. as was nightflight. if they could wait long periods of time to devise evil so could the ex nest ruler. for now as had the past half day crawled by, nearing twilight, his other comrades were vigilantly keeping watch or sleeping. not much to do accept wait. wait and hope their evil intelligent quarry took the bait. it was quite a gamble korin knew. he might not even get angry. or be found for that matter. evening dwindled into the tempting alluring spread of stars of bight. the clearing was silent and still. an hour drifted by. two. five. copperwings eye began to close when he jerked awake a rumbling from far away.

there it was again. he tensed thinking it someone new then figured it out, embarrassment and mild annoyance mixing on his face. that giant former follower loaw nezere alterious: snoring! couldn't he hear how loud it was? perhaps keep it a tad _quieter?_ he gritted his teeth making a face. just went to show even all powerful elusive species like night fury went impervious to the tendencies of sleep. seven hours. eight hours. as the moon was descending proceeding the following dawn not far away, his earfrills caught it. the unusual sound of artificial wind...wingbeats. unless it was denix-replay hoping to catch a meal or something, it meant one thing only. korin readied himself unable to warn the others. stealth and timing were imperative now. hed have to trust some or all were awake and waiting to act. the bait, a disheveled battered monstrous nightmare with several fresh bleeding claw marks on its rope-like neck where apparently someoned tried to break it, exploded into the clearing in a shower of falling leaves. a muttering of effort to shout "hez coming! hez comingz!" and buried itself in the far side of the clearing, scattering foliage.

the teenage fury readied his talons, every muscle tense promised. then there was silence. overbearing **uneasy** silence. there came no persuing wingbeats of a spike chested fury male panting with constant flying. silence. was aranidae not coming? no, wait...then with a startled half snoring yelp, dragon was yanked out of his perch and slammed into his tree. seconds later torrids perch was targeted. a "hey. copper! _copper_! oh!" and then was silent. korin really didnt like the silence now. his ears caught a snapping of twigs near the far side of the clearing, then torrids unconscious form was hurled into the clearing beneath the illumination of the crescent moon with an ugly thud. safe though, so long as she didnt look directly at it and unable to in her current state. korin dared not move. the taunting began. hypnotic taunting. he was here.

"you think im a fool, son of silverwing?" reverberated that calm silky voice, though this time there was a bitter edge to it. "think i didnt know this is a trap? a pathetic one? well youre wrong about that." there! a dark blur near the base of dragons tree. another ugly louder thud as dragon himself was flung into the grass for all to see landing near torrids prone form. korins eye bored into that last spot, thanking existence itself denix-replay hadnt shouted something snide in the process giving her position away. he needn'tve worried. a blur moved toward her spot next. "haha! you fools think anyone can hide from your leader? i am a master of deception. i **am** the dark. in my day, armies bowed before me. unbelievers to the master quailed in fear of my name. loaw veen may be the leader now, but she wont last as long as i have. you believe she is your worst foe? wait until you get to know me." two previous strikes mustve alerted denix to the trouble, for her voice bit through the clearing, the dark blur roared in pain, and a shiny something flew through the air, skidding on grass right to copperwings treetrunk. the dark mirror. a few scuffling noises, failing leaves and soon after came the dragoness herself, crashing undignified to her trees base. "these silly excuses of allies will get you nowhere, copperwing my old friend. if they cant stand up to me, what makes that bold mind of yours believe theyll amount to anything facing loaw veen? hmm? no answer?"

"is the dragnet shaking in his skin right now hiding somewhere? do we need a demonstration to get him talking? shall we start with...ah...his mother? i merely knocked them unconscious but i can make it permanent, copperwing. unlike most leaders who breathe hot air and their empty lies, you know ill do it. how many are hiding out there?" copperwing knew he was being baited, goaded. he was right to stay put: the patch of grass not illuminated by the moon blurred slightly, as if unsure of revealing itself. loaw azeros aranidae stepped into the bright light, closing his eyes and breathing in as if soaking up the essence of his creator. he strode to the base of korins tree and picked up the dark mirror, favoring three legs. the fourth left hind he avoided walking on: denixs work, bleeding profusely. the sub leader took his time hefting it apparently in no hurry now admiring himself in its reflection.

korin found his musles unable to move. locked up. frozen. especially when aranidaes head jerked up to the branch where the nest ruler lay concealed. he coudnt tell if he saw him or not, witch made it all the worse. he smiled suddenly. "yes. so foolish. loaw veend find this laughable. i know her too well by now to see shed view this catastrophe as anything else. i know my enemies. i know my allies. a leader does not live long if he does not. the past examples can be found in the deaths of my predecessors. but i have lived long, copperwing. i was spared my expected downfall. i merely became blind. beveled all the lies your tongue uttered. but ontonycterys made me whole again. i thank her for that. ill thank her by systematically destroying everything that hold her stature together, leaving not a shred, not a whisper of bodies unscathed. i will trash her little world and create my everlasting vision the god protector originally intended. me as its head. ill be the gentle benevolent leader to all the others who never were. i watched perseverin die by the devious talon of ontonycerys. i watched her die and in that moment i knew i must destroy her."

"this seemingly worthless rock is valuable to her. as _you_ are valuable to her, nest rule _r._ as the threat i find amusing at best. she thinks i believe the same. imbecile. she does not know my broader plans for you, simply by blocking my mind from her. intrusions are not nice; dont you agree? you will become mine again. your body will belong to me. youll do Whatever i tell you to do. youll feel that joyous bloodlust once more and youll **enjoy** it." the nest ruler for his part couldn't/wouldnt budge or speak. the other gave korins tree a long last look then turned. he took a few steps, favoring one leg and stopped, head inclined back left slightly. "i think ill go for loaw snarna first, if the trees around me dont mind. she served her purpose as everyone's annoying runt. shes constantly underclaw, like a a fly that will not go away. it insists in annoying. for me her silence will be _so...satisfying._ yes thats what itll be. id hoped shed perish from my blows earlier. but alas shes refusing to go down so easily, as does all my other problems. at least this way the master will be rid of one less upstart that couldn't rise above novice status."

"a glorious day for us all. after that i think ill terminate your mother next. loaw veen said something about her being a servant to the god protector recently, of value to her interests. a wonderful news tidbit. and it changes my perception entirely on how to deal with both her and you. how must a nest ruler summon up that bold demenour when the soul who he relies on in his darkest moments is not there for support? in the absence of her, you...are... _nothing."_ korins bones jerked into motion. with a yell that wouldve impressed silverwingthefury he dived. no one made life seem so trivially worthless like that. loaw azeros swiveled his body in one smooth practiced motion, his tail coiling. korin got a neckful of spikes sending vermilion splattering. he was forced to ride with the blow to the grass. aranidae went for him immediately grinning like a demented cobra. "i wondered how long itd take the nest ruler to come out and play. words, copperwing. words are everything. deathbringer used to make fun of me for it but its never led me astray in my mission. never underestimate their significance. they may lead to your undoing. see how well your feeble trap worked on me? heh. dont play with aranidae. he is more intelligent then you begin to understand. now be mine." with a deft movement copperwing dreaded, not fast enough to squirm free of, the sub leader was on him in reaching for his head. forcing it up toward the moon. no!

* * *

torrid awoke with an almighty start. she felt like shed been doing well, ignoring just fine the obnoxious snoring big fury, when... **that** happened. the sensation shed been clubbed over the head with something. she glanced around the clearing from her exposed position in its middle and saw the rest of the dragons copperwingthefury called his friends out of action. speaking of her son: her eyes landed on him opposite her. only he wasnt alone. another smaller night fury with interesting array of spikes adorning his chest and tailparts gripped the littler in an odd position: something about his wings sagged limper and limper, the change in his eyes, the lack of words accept little frantic whimpers alerted torrid to the danger. torrid was an extremely passive dragoness normally, running away from imminent woes, sharply contrast to silverwings bullying aggression at the drop of a wing.

when it came to it though she was as determined as any wild bull. thats her son in danger, the signs, if there was one. she bounded over to the dragon who held her son, but the other was not unaware: a long tail coiled out and cracked the air in front of torrid before she got far. "dont come any closer, supporter of the blind. or your righteous instigator of pitiful justice, your precious son, dies. i wont hesitate making the strike thatll end it. pity if i did" one eye took her in. her posture, her desperation to do something and smirked. "nether of us wants that. you: sad. me: without a loyal new follower to the cause. tell you what: heres what ill do to spare us the heartache. you stay where you are and make no advancements, let me complete my task in peace and ill let you and your friends live, to tell the tale of those that refuse to turn to the enlightened path. your son was once this way. think of the benefit he will have, living carefree under the masters guidance. truth seeing. how can you not want that? right now, this troublesome ball of scales hes been a thorn in my side far too often for me to let his little escapades continue. hers seeing the truth, trust me dragoness. the real pest here is another that replaced me called ontonycterys. she would have your son killed on the spot. neither of us want that do we? trust me, im being as gentle as i can. hes just very presisstant in denying what is inevitable. im doing your son a faver dragoness. youd do well to embrace it."

torrid jerked to a stop frozen. confusion written across her muzzle. that was due to the power ebbing into loaw azeros voice as he tightened his grip on copperwings snout. he would not slip away this time aranidae thought tampering the seething spike below the surface of his calm, threatening to break through any moment. and while hes at it lets turn his overprotective mother to his will, perhaps order her to fling herself off a cliff and keep her wings closed. or have her pit wits against her own son who was smaller then her by far? until aranidae bored of their exhausted battered up forms and get rid of her? "or" the evil thought slipped into his mind "maybe ill have them fight off the issue of that false leader seleena for me, ordering to keep on fighting her until i say for korin to stay put. force him to sit off to the side and watch seleena tear into his only true source of reliance in this filthy unclean land. but then they wouldn't even BE themselves as they knew it, under my suggestion and soon followers. id have to change the name korin, sounds so...common."

hed not known this 'torrid' for long, perhaps a glimmer of remembrance pairing her with his former brutish follower deathbringer alterious when he seduced her the first time. upon learning she had ties to loaw veen furthermore was the mother to the constant niggling source of rebellion in the flesh, his dislike of her was there. enough to get rid of her, in his particularly sly shadowy method, personally attended to. he could see shed be utterly useless, like a discarded pile of fish-bones no oned bothered to clean their cave of. there was no point in investing in the weak minded. thoughts were on her son. about protecting. oblivious to anything else. help came from copperwing himself. how it could be said it was accomplished, no oned a clue even aranidae that day. loaw azeros disbelief, an almost superdragon feat of willpower, korin tore his eyes away from the essence of the moon, life flooding his limbs as his own will returned.

his surprise slackened his grip, coming to terms with this event, enough that korin found his rusty voice. "no one...messes with my mother. you wont harm...any more dragons. night fury or others. leave them alone." no oned even in the time kahuakhaun became leader had a resistant free fury broken its own hold before the transfiguration was complete. a sense of hesitant stupor, **angry** wonder twisted aranidaes jaw "what? how? who are you to defy the god protector? no one escapes it" korins feet were in a nice snug position to make the sub leader let go, kicked out connecting with the others kneecaps. he let go, growling something unintelligible and pivoted his body. korin hopped over the nasty tail lashing horizontally below. aranidae immediately rolled vertical. korin evaded as it slammed into the grass. "mother go rouse the others" he shouted as his foe tried a third vertical "he will attempt to flee seeing this didnt go as intended." korin caught loaw azeros face as he tackled the sub leader: grudging.

"bold nest ruler. but how so **predictably** wrong. i can easily lay four clueless furys to rest without a sweat." he bared his teeth letting out a roar of defiance as his hungry talons stabbed for his eyes. they fought and fought sommore, the sun beginning to trickle into the clearing by the time they assessed their wounds. a whole night passed! copperwing some bleeding down the left side of his neck and nicks/tears in his wings. aranidae fared better, breathing heavily, lacerations covering his chest around the spikes and stomach hoping to disable him. both furys energy, nearly spent. both refusing to back down and concede defeat. torrid still hadnt moved shifting talons indecisive muttering something in her mind. "torrid? hey? the others?" her son prodded. she stared past oblivious to his presence or words. he turned back to his opponent, understanding. "snake. undo it."

aranidae put on a smug smile and said nothing. korins burgeoning dark side surged but it was denix-replay cannoning into him from above that broke the respite. he flung her off cracking his tail around for good measure leaving his flank open. open it was: to all the fireballs from copperwings maw one after another. "he _said_ undo it. so undo it." demanded denixs voice in the steam. korin circled looking for his quarry. something blurred behind him. he whipped around slashing the air. nothing! his eyes could pierce the dark. not his resulting steam cloud. he shot fire randomly. no hits. he began to fear the worst, from not far came the sound of snapping treebranches accompanied by a big heavy thud. a surprised grunt. oh and a tone sounding clumsily surprised "i got him." the fog dispirited. to copperwings delight a wonderful thing occurred. he was right aranidaed attempted to slip away to dredge up evil another day. lying on top of him was his former follower himself. the sub leader was squirming but trapped under his heavy weight it was feeble.

he could see dragons talons were dug into the grass for extra measure. he noted the thing loaw azeros talons reached for: the dark mirror. it was over. the night fury of so much treachery and artful extermination of life had come full circle. hed do it still, after all the evil hed created. hed free him. its the right thing to do. the **only** thing to do. denix replay came from the side and promptly kicked it out of reach. "nope. not yours. you want another one go pick another less shiny rock. theyre all around. im sure youll find one thats the size of your twisted brain." aranidae made a low noise in his throat, eyes flicking to the suns rise to the east, its bright blinding yellow glow yet visible. slowly with deliberate pawsteps korins feet stopped at the obsidian stone. "no more vipre. no more. any last words?" loaw azeros tongue slipped between his teeth. "your...losses today against me are minimal. stemming from your nest rulers cowardice, and unwillingness to take decisive action in understanding our ways. all across this unpurified land, your night furys, so little so unorganized so afraid, suffer while this..."aranidae thought a moment then chuckled " _rebellion_ amasses all the mightier in defiance. how ontonycterys will laugh in the face of it."

dragon looked at korin. "shall we silence him?" he made a negative gesture. aranidaes eyes shifted to the dark mirror thoughtfully. "you ignored my warning about who to destroy of us or hold onto that rock when i pledged it to two of your numbers care she so covets and paid the price. nor the many chances we gave you to follow the master. now you have the opportunity to use it against her, yet still you refuse to use it." torrid walked up behind her son gaze cold. "so long as my son and his allies have hope of a peaceful outcome for all living beings from the night skys tyranny we will not succumb-" "if you allow your ego to cloud your only sons mind, itll doom the lot of you to an eternity of devastation. what my master does not bring to the light, it destroys. you should know that by now. furthermore if your kind insists upon defying what we have to offer on ontonycterys terms, not yours, you are going to lose." aranidae said icily. korin kept track of the sun. not yet. neatly there! "no. i will not be lectured like a clueless dragnet on the subject of power or leadership. im past that. i am who i am. i can lead just fine. we all have laspes. mistakes. its what makes us unique. worthy of life. not by you. not by a dragon whose proven by his deeds a traitor."

loaw azeros stopped struggling much to dragons relief. he chuckled again facetiously, smiling his dazzling smile. "mmmm. we are both leaders in our own way. at least i act like one. worthy of that role." korin picked up the dark mirror slowly turning it over in his talons thinking of all the anger hed withheld from the followers under the moons reign. he let out in a responsible way. "you target the innocent with your evil. slip suggestion into their minds. kill those that defy your vision. break every rule of natures path. if we degrade ourselves to the god protectors alluring temptation what will we become?" despite hie level of control some of his fathers anger rumbled hintingly at the back of his words. aranidae clawed his talons into fists happily. at last hed seen the semblance when just a follower all that span of years kahuakhauns power and authority. deep down he was pleased and that was enough for him. hed gotten the body shaking conviction hed sought from his worthy opponent all this time. the steering rudders of his tail flopped once, satisfied.

"there he is. the nest ruler most of us have come to loathe. thats the leader the god protector needs. where is that fire? that passion? when your dragons need it most to see the light? your patriotism as is your words twists your own mission, copperwing. you go about things all the wrong way. just because you say a few heroic speeches and tripped up a few dragons in our mission does not mean that hampers the master: when will you learn?" korins snout was a mass of cold disappointment curling his jaw. he said nothing. the first strong penetrating rays of the sun came out over the tops of the trees. mere moments way. he turned it over in his talons reminiscing how ontonycterys used it to get him and valdis to followers so fast. aranidae took a deep breath closing his eyes. then fixed on korin, strangely calmer then ever wich unnerved the others save korin. he knew his lost old nest brother. he was accepting his fate. "i hope, nest ruler, after youve lost, your army temporarily emboldened by your call of foolishness lay scattered, and ontonycterys reigns over the land unopposed, you will find some comfort in the knowledge you fought according to her rules. the moon gets its desire."

korin held up the dark mirror angling it toward the rays. aranidaes eyes remained on him. looking deep into his eyes possibly for the last time, studying what secrets lay there. "what are you afraid of nest ruler? the truth?" copperwings eyes widened slightly but he said nothing. suns rays abruptly hit the dark mirror in a glorious array of light stunning everyone of its intensity shutting their eyes. loaw azeros didnt, kept his open, ready for his fate. it bounced off the rock and raced for his orbs, who smiled a tight defiant smile: calm and controlled on the high ground tell the last. "such a small victory" he tut tutted admonishingly. then he was gone.

...

close by, buried so thickly in the bushes you could mistake her more leaf then dragoness, was a night fury. bleeding extra horribly, sure. took constant effort to breathe sure. incredibly scarred, perhaps. but shed seen and heard everything. the theatrical commotion of korins pathetic band drew her here. "so...azeros is a failure, just exactly as i knew hed be. i warned him but did he listen? idiot dragon. he got himself into this mess, i wont get him out. being murderous and prompt in carrying out threats are better then daydreaming up plans. i _knew_ he was useless. for all his talk he still was outsmarted. but i wont be. now i know what i must do." the figure backed out of her spot carefully to insure minimal noise. she didnt care about the oozing trail of vermilion in her wake. first she had another matter of priority to attend to, involving crafting a very sharpened stick...

* * *

20 year old blueflame ran a hand through his curly long hair, suppressing a shiver. his hiding spot? mr and mrs smiths humble wee shack. once so homely if edgily uncomfortable, now with the fire lacking in the fireplace dark and ominous. its not the fact a berserker or an outcast soldier. or worse their maddened deranged chief himself might barge through the smiths door any moment. in reality it was the danger they were in at all. this wasnt simply another sheep-rustling meat-stealing weapon-nicking affair. this was personnel. targeted. Alvin the treacherous _wanted_ him. well his information at least. what he knows about dragons. in particular the 'nert furt' exclusive variety. witch was highly unusual. normally they were concerned about getting in and out softly as possible undetected if they could help it with their goods. why not the mon nii? or the de nadd:? why not about of the other common types scattered about out there, terrifying villages just like this? but no, the nert furt.

what did alvin want with them? moreover himself? was there in fact ore then met the eye all those years ago when the outcasts captured them when out hunting and locked them up? all to draw alvins interest? to see whatd transpire in that dark dang gloomy dungeon? john was am intelligent one with a repairs wit about him, running the possibilities in his mind, as he sat shivering in the smiths dining room, fireless. the moon. the jointed alliance. threatening villagers. the long trek. it didnt add up. if the outcast chief wanted to know something, as in their 'torture' with a nert fert as a substitute, why not summon a council of men? host it at his settlement or borks? discus this like honorable men? well, an Honorable council of mead drunken to high heaven men at least? he shivered from not from the cold. Alvin was after something and hed firmed a partnership with one of the most deranged of chiefs to do it. john admitted right now he was afraid for dragons if both men got what they wanted they saught here dragons might well be extinct by the next moon.

dragons outnumbered vikings by far of course. but of the outcasts chief obtained what he wished to know...the secret of a dragon...blueflame learned that day tothing that dragonesses strangely moody snout...there might not be many of the beauties left when this was over. man would rule the land. that was not something blueflame looked forward to. he was right in hedging truth to the chief. danger and foreboding dark times lay in telling the whole thing, ltcing understand everything. whereas dagur was murderous on the fly, alvin was smart. he was treacherous. hed remember. why else did he recognize him all this time later? it was revenge. and a proposition: tell me what i want to know, or this entire village will soon be scrawled off the known viking maps. so. how could one smart but clunky boy take them down? they said he had an alliance out of mutual benefit, not fear. that made sense. Alvin made it seem he held hostage a valuable someone or something, a commodity, dagur desperately sought. if blueflame could wreck that alliance...he was usually very good at bludgeoning his way through and ruining things, much to the irritation of borks inhabitants.

not to mention its thunder-faced chief. perhaps this was his chance to shine. ruining something, irritating villagers, what was what he did best right? "i bet i could do that." perhaps. maybe. probably. theres just the humbling thought theres dozens and dozens of armed men out there who are prowling around. searching for blueflame? no way to know. he supposed he could ask dagur, but guaranteed nothing healthy, as in coming out of that conversation alive, would come out if that encounter. a muffled thud came from outside followed by the splintering of wood. the attacking forces must be utilizing their catapults. well **that** didnt bode well. any one if those heavy boulders could come crashing through the roof. since his wifes protecting him from a nert furt attack, hed not many friends on borks village or among the newer generation of hard-strong inturns this year to feel like being enthused about

one to share his hunger with. no one to be with. ever since the bragger returned 'untouched' from alvins dungeon with the nert furt hed become only more boastful and bragging, as if wearing a medal of honor, much to the annoyance f the adults, whos undoubtedly survived far harsher treatments as vikings then him. blueflame carefully gave him a wide berth. hed kept up a good nature up this whole time. he fiddled with one of the food encrusted dinner plates mr smithd lefty lazily on the table mrs smithd not attended to then overheard a voice hollering down the street. "i dont _care_ if your precious hairy beards is at risk from an axe. break every door on this block and overturn every room. if you find nothing burn it! i want that boy!" blueflame scooted his seat back fast. danger! he gad to get out of here. he couldn't face an outcast or or berserker. even _if_ he could locate a weapon in this seemingly weaponless cottage. nether magnus or helga were much of a weapons keepers. hed surely stab himself in the stomach with it anyway. better to keep out of sight. he headed to the back of the smiths home to the mudroom. also weaponless.

not even a toy wooden dagger in sight. there was a door he could slip away into the chaos to a better spot. perhaps the chefs cottage. or he **wouldve** if a great spike de nadd wrapped boor hadn't kicked the door in with a great bang, its owner an impressive hairy barrel of a man. gaar saaxon. dagur the deranged right handed, or in this vase clubbed, man of the berserker tribe. he smiled wickedly advancing slowly just as an accompanying bang echoed from the front door. "nope" muttered blueflame "guess im not escaping that way." "wozzit you say?" Saaxon asked raising his club. "nothing sir. i meant...what lovely... **biceps** you have. the terror of the vikings, bravo." when blueflame got in trouble it ws usually due to 'village things.' when someone though like gaar saaxon came to town though, death came quite a few times not long after, saaxon had been there to glare it threateningly in the eye. the berserk looked at his arms confusedly, just as blueflame bent down, yanking the homemade rug with little viking horned helmets mrs smithd made in her spare time.

like lots of spare time. saaxon stumbled, cursed, clutched the wall for support. the young man already grabbed the nearest thing within reach; a pair of heavy books, ms smiths favorite tales of the high seas before he collapsed in the easy chair passed out from an overdose of Meade. this time saaxon regained his footing swinging his club lefty right left right left to swat the incoming leathery projectiles aside, rig nearby, blueflame tossed that at his foe. the loud clomp of bootsteps behind him warned him of the danger. john swiveled quickly, quickly enough too observe the burly greasy-mushashed hairy-handed outcast making a grab for him. if he caught him hed be trapped in a crushing bad-breathed bear hug unable to escape. "commere ya vile grub"

"im no grub. my name is blueflame" he replied testily, grabbing for anything within reach off the shelf. his hands closed around a book, as it turned out the very last one indeed, this one yellowed and old, one of mrs smiths cherished unread favorites. blueflame would have to inform helga later of the loss of her particularity boring loss of precious property. luckily this one was so dog eared and yellowed with age it practically exploded into dust as soon as he lobbed it at the outcasts face. as he coughed on paper dust, swatting his hand to clear the air. blueflame made to duck under for the unguarded door. pity misfortune seemed to shadow the boy wherever he went. his left foot lifted, took a step, promptly tripped on helgs rumpled rug, wobbled for balance Backward, and collapsed not on the floor but in a pair of meaty hands. blueflame gulped looking up into an unpleasant naughty faced man indeed beneath that beaten metel helmet. "going somewhere?" grinned gaar saaxon.

* * *

There the band stopped, a group of colosesed makeshift armada of some of the mixed species, come to stop the god protectors influence once and for all: korin and his friends, the son of many, centurpeade, most of the nest furys regrouped under korins purpose and unity, the deadly nadders led by sabrinathemorpher among other nest rulers, scattered monstrous nightmares led by a very annoyed sleuther and other directors, come to express their owed form of redemption, and last and most important to stop this mess, former third leader and survivor loaw azeros aranidae-returned-vipre once more. Flying wing to wing Alongside his former thrice enemy. And now recovered rpm the help of the it seems legendary "toothless' the night fury among the two leggeds, renewed, refreshed, recovered his morals, copperwing was ready to utilize the help and support of his unlikely allies and friends left to stop the creation of his father once and for all.

The mold of his fathers position in the form of a highly anticipating loaw veen ontonycterys. And she was there, at the head of her force, curling her talons patiently. Expressing none of the weaknesses her previous subordinates exhibited. Once word got to the nest ruler of the fury's he vowed to take it back. Denix replay grudgingly turned along with an armada of deadly nadders explaining everything and the apparent botched attempt by vipre to reclaim them, mirroring his past actions though last time susessssful. "and wheres abydos and obuekhov whiny-scales?" shed asked again and again after finding korin moody and silent. He hadnt the heart to tell her. Something his orbsd seen, him alone. abydos gone. shed figure out sooner or later. In a way it felt personnel. But in a way it was good to have finally something that the enemy apparently was willing to sacrifice its own followers to reclaim, sleuther had stolen it from the enemy in a stroke of pure luck, unknowingly still under vipres mind trance to get it out from ontonycterys grubby talons. The dark mirror.

Furthermore out of nowhere torrid had revealed herself as copperwings true mother when she became infected under the moons thrall by ontonycterys devious strategic design, all those years ago when she was absent from his life silverwing neglected to specify. When she experienced the bloodlust and purpose restored to her bonded to the moon her memories returned as well, everything since the time she mated with silverwing to bore copperwings existence, with a tainted alteration of perception. It was that fact, all copperwings mixed emotions and love for her old self beneath the evil mental mask the god protector forced her to wear, that freed her. Proving love was stronger then loaw veens words. He hadnt even seen the similarities between himself. his patriotism and boldness came from his father. But that selfless compassion to do whats right to turn silverwing away from the dark path he became seduced to, even when he couldn't accomplish that, not present at the time of silverwings dramatic fall as loaw okar, hidden away fearful of the land. he pushed the moral of stopping the moons further seduction of worshipers anyway. That came from torrid.

Korind been put through a whirlwind of adventure emotions and double and even triple crosses. Abydos was dead by perseverins deed. Obuekhovs fate unknown. Loaw dagny seemingly taken care of. Vipre back, snapped free somehow the jittery male wouldn't say. And all his new allies past fighting against them now fed up with the moons mission as well. It was time for it to be over. All that knowingly stood in their way was one gigantic beast exxellence, a young inexperienced skrill curticy of loaw dagnys work even younger then skrillix lothal and less then eighty or so followers and the one to make then that way: their leader. The one formerly known as seleena.

"at last we meet in this theater of war, however briefly. there is no escape and your disorganized forces are badly out-skilled. this rebellion ends today. bear witness! Bear witness, assembled come to face me! See all the dragons behind me you've come to kill! Do we really want to fight? Im not perseverin! Im not aranidae! I do not act falsely with a smile! I do not fly into a rage if the situation demands it! i know you my misguided children of mixed species! i have fought the nightmares before! i know the nadders type! I know _you,_ nest ruler! you're young and still inexperienced! I see something in you has changed since we last met that lacked before! you're more like our first leader now before he was so! You have found peace! you have found your faith! your mother, even!" loaw veen called even before the forces were comfortably close enough to communicate, eyes momentarily on the female dragoness beside her quarry. "but that will not save you!"

"would you _stop_ the yabber jabber already and put a wing in it? Im not interested! were not interested either! If theres nothing new waiting to be said, why not just shut up? Ive made more sounds in my sleep that are more fascinating then whatever comes out of yours awake. try it sometime; might work out better then you thought" Spat denix replay defiantly. "we all know were here to spout a few words and then get to the good part, me being very good looking and flattering on the battlefield of course, whooping the tails of the deluded as i go. Are you done prophasizing so i may be spared your lecturing, so i can go all out on you?" ontonycterys ignored her. "so what say you copperwingthefury? Shall we settle this in peace or in battle? I could guess yours with a throw of the dice but i thought id offer you one last chance! Im nothing if not overgenerous! one reason i will surpass every other fallen leader!" his gaze nodded left and right as a sign to get ready. "we will not be broken seleena my lost nest sister! However hard you try killing the ones i love! Im stronger now then i ever was! This is the final battle to end all your masters tyranny!"

ontonycterys shrugged. "thats sweet how you are emboldened by your little army pledging themselves to your cause! i applaud you getting that far! i wonder if youd feel the same way if you had no such support; would the scared little dragnet inside make such same bold statements! I guess we will see! you cannot say i did not try!" at the slightest curt nod of her head all the night fury followers streamed fourth accompanied by exxcellence and the adolescent skrill Andorra, formerly perseverins precious property. "you brought your army, nest ruler! Now feel the force of _mine_!" shilling command calls emanated from sabrinathemorpher and other nest rulers, sleuther calling her own directors were heard, streaming out and around copperwings force, but the nest furys held put disciplined: waiting for korin to lead them. Trusting in him. "we will never surrender our belief seleena!" "you misunderstand copperwingthefury: i am not accepting surrender at this time! I want you to know failure: utter defeat! and it is i that delivers it crashing down upon you! Now, let us proceed!"

* * *

Korin held up the obsidian object so all whizzing around him could see it. The dark mirror. Hed figured out in a short amount of time thanks to the leader herself what it could do. Or reverse. "enough! No more fighting! Ive had enough of it! No more!" the nearest followers or nest furys turned reluctantly. "This thing help my dragons remember. What diasterdly evil you did to them can undo by the light of the sunshine in their eyes! My dragons remember themselves again!" ontonycterys turned from the battle shed faced against seven nest furys letting her have no reprieve from battling. Her eyes sought korins voice, the object he held, narrowed her eyes. The spines of her back bristled dangerously. "youre a fool, nest ruler! that thing wont help you! Only our side knows how to use it properly! What you use it for amounts to nothing significant! Furthermore its ours! Its mine! And i want it back!" korin held the monsters gaze a good long moment, then let it drop from his talons, the followers eyes fixated upon it a bit horrified. "you want it? That dark mirror? We dont need it! We night furys remember our original selves! Those of us left by my fathers racus rampage all those years ago! Want it so bad? Come and get it!"

"retrieve it!" roared loaw veen immediately falling upon her foes with renewed energy. The battle seethed into new energy as well, the nest furys blocking the breeders of darkness from diving to retrieve it. "raaaaa!" she snarled shoving through her attackers no longer interested in battling, hurling herself to ground to retrieve the dark mirror herself. It was vital she used it according to her masters design. However vipre and copperwingthefury were in her way suddenly pushing her back, maddening her efforts. "you want a battle?" she threatened slapping aside vipre and trying to wrestle korins talons off her. "i want peace. A concept you apparently know nothing about." She freed a paw and slashed at his face, scratching of a few bluish scales but otherwise missing his eyes witch shed been carefully aiming for. the dragnet was lithe and agile then shed gave him credit for. Vipre attempted sneaking up from behind, but with the usual strength of her fore paws she tightened her caws around copperwings own, pivoted a hundred and eighty degrees, and flung him at vipres surprised snout, sending both colliding in a scaly mess.

The nest ruler was lucky he didnt cut scale on the others throat spikes. she seized the opportunity to put on a burst of speed before the dark mirror shattered on the ground. By the look of it it was nearly there. Another night fury was in her way suddenly, flinging out his huge wingspan to send her reeling back to avoid crashing into him. Dragon looked up into the eyes of his former leader. "once upon a time i was you. And im wishing to turn you to freedom. I remember now. I was once a nasty piece of filth named deathbringer. Killing…murdering...butchering…it was all i cared for. "and youll be right next on my list if you dont get out of my way." Warned ontonycterys recovering her slight surprise seeking a way around him…or _through_ the mumbling mass of muscle. She swerved right dragon was quick to follow suit.

"even though i did some pretty terrible things, i remember now. Somehow i think thats probably worse off then being forgetful. At least that way i had an excuse. What youre doing is monstrous. Same ugly fate as me. Please loaw veen snap out of it. For our sake as, much as yours. Were hurting. Let it go." shed had enough of his mumbling. She prepared and shot a fireball at each of deathbringers wings making him howl in pain, Quickly retracting them. A determined vipre and copperwing were hot on her tail but by that time it was too late for loaw veen. She could only scream a cry of frustration from her brown throat as she watched helplessly. The dark mirror hit the land at a fast speed, once recovered 'from the heart of the earth, where the land ran red' by deathbringer/dragon, now returned to it in numberless black shards.

The moons voice suddenly pierced in all their minds linked to its essence in thundering waves. "idiotssssssss! That wassssss usseefullll. Now you mussssst combine the effortsss harder. The leader placed in charge isssss failing! Harder effortssss!" ontonycterys gritted her teeth flustered at the double rebuke in the pace of a few moments. the dark mirror, gone! her master, disappointed in her. just like itd been in snodussen and perseverin and aranidae and kahuakhaun. "are you ever satisfied with what i have done for you, o mighty brilliance?" she asked telepathically. a long and awful silence fallowed in witch she feared the answer would not com. "there issssss use for thisss child of the night. but sssslim. prove yourssself by getting rid of the othersssss that do not believe. chansesssssss given time over. usssed hossts to direct you children better, did not work. lassst chance for you before powers are drawn from you." that boiled loaw veens resolve back to hard steel again. she would not fail.

* * *

copperwing turned from evading twin strikes of his own kind nearly brushing against her. then took another look at her and flapped back a few good spaces to be safe. the other laughed softly, amused, not perusing. "seleena." "you were right, dragon. brave brave nesssst ruler. thessse blinded creaturessss clawing at exissstasnce like antsss dont deserve your liesss in their earssss. they only desserve destruction." it was just the two of them. two night furys. but not ontonycterys faced him. no! far worse. she looked and flapped the sane, yet her wings beat erratically as if forgotten how to hover. her eyes. copperwing gasped, flapping closer despite himself. the eyes were as white as Perls white as diamonds white as sapphires. and he immateriality felt a familiar feeling creeping through hos blood.

he tore his eyes away from the being in front if him. ontonycterys wasnt ontonycterys right now if at all now. far more then that. hed heard the stories of dragons rising from the dead, those original should long extinguished, like menacing gosts of the past and semi directing the followers. first leader nona/loaw perna and later aranidaes third term, according to abydos. surely this wasnt that dreadful situation again. but it _was_. "you. youre _it"_ "i isssssss" breathed that all too familiar hiss. korin felt a cold shiver slick up his tail gripping his heart despite avoiding looking at the dragonesses luminous eyes. "i iss not your enemy, dragon. i am only one who truly knowssss you. who truly knowss the unbelieversssss as you do not. they alwayssss will be and always will be mine. embraced in happinesssss. capable of the greatesst understanding."

a dragon of copperwings kind spotted the ontonycterys-controlled host angling in bravely from an unobservant angle. the god oritecter turned its body to lock eyes with it smoothly. that nest fury began crying out for mercy. bit its will was weaker then copperwings own, unable to break the corruption. hew himself looked up fury sensing the change of attention. 'loaw veen' grabbed the hovering creature flinging at korin. "all i ever wanted wass for the otherssss to sssee how rightioussss my creationssssss are. but they refussse." copperwing refused to see the reality happening to him right now=, checking to see if his nest brother over to see of his minds tainted/ the other simply nodded his thanks at the temptingly glorious feeling beginning to infect him reversing. "i am copperwingthefury son of silverwingthefury son of torrid the protective-"

"ssso i dessssstroyed those that ssstood up to me. my children of the night exterminated them like fliesssss." korin flew up high and charged huge fireball. only the space where he was going to fire it lay vacant.. he turned around maddeningly for her whereabouts. no sdigh however the voice echoed from all around. "where are you?" "my dear lossst soul...that iss not how to treat your creater. kneel and sssubmit." copperwing was forced to discharge his breath downward free of combatants for thgw moment. in is violet aftermath there was loaw veen. "only a bind can ssee the truth for themsesslvesss. your proud alike believer of mine wasssss left it to inssure hiss sond be bonded with i in time. your female ssoul tried to make your passsssion to ussse asss a weapon to spread misssssinformation about their creater." korin gritted his teeth flinging himself at the being before him. "i dont believe that. lies! my father never willingly do that to me. even as a tool of your will. i didnt know my mother well then. only silverwing. it wasnt him that befell under your influence. that was skitiivas doing. you only infected him later. tell me the truth." "i am" came the soulless response.

* * *

in the middle of a war, vermilion spattered across his scales in the midst of heated combat where the ruler was his side or thiers, copperwing came to terms he faced the essence itself in the body of loaw veen. tampering down his instinctual dark side with effort. he refused to bow to that level. his anger was aimed at this thing not the followers it consumed the minds of, used like toys. battered other creatures unto submission. he couldn't. not now. unlike the succession of leaders copperwingd gotten to know who fought back fueled by emotion, revenge or greed, even loaw azeros, the moon itself was entirely flat. unequivocal. somersetting beyond his level of understanding. hed faced its pawns sure. not the great one itself ."i am not the partial truth i am the whole truth. thiss land needs it. unbelievers ssstole this place from me. they ruined it day by day ignorance sssoon clouded the mindsss i wisssheed to enlighten of the line of sspecies. your kind essssspecially. the chosen ones. and the one jusssst like you, the only one wisse enough to ssee it. too weak to get my job done. all thessse millennia i have alone attempted my children to sssee. whjssperuing into the bestowed. imsspirartion. plasnssss. intellect. weaponsss. but i dont make them ussse them. sstill they fail."

god protector winged in wide loops around korin who found it tempting to glance into her/its eyes. but hed learned hos lesson from the tales of those that did. "you sstart these warsss on your own. all i do isss orchessstrate these leadersss of the children of the night whose term they cannot keep in the hope thosse wehisse hearts do not belong to the light will dessytroy themselvesss. but it hass never been enough. until you." copperwings heart raced, hos anger dusapating like a bad dream . true fear kindled inside him. he began to understand. "when you firssst ssaw this land i was fgoing to take the first of my besstoweeed recantation to crussh you. but i knew that if only you could ssee what the otherss enlightened through me or not could not. then you would bond to me and with my powerssss flowing through you, your passion for jusstice could be ssshifted correctly to have all of naturesss wreck follow in your path. end all the missleading all the ssufering the ache they bring. you could return this land to the purnenesss it once wass before. forever." the air stilled. ontonycterys/the god protector held out its paws to ether side and silence descended on thew air. hushed quiet.

the absence of sound snapped the fear out of him. for korin to come to his lowest point and return brought his perspective into a new light. when perseverin shredded the life out of abydos persvek before his very eyes, too far away to lend aid, get back at loaw dagny in some way, cleared his mind of what true evil was. (another story justice so sweetly spilt) for practically everything to turn against him in the vilest cruelest way to the point of his own mother he came to defy so he could save her from this... **monster.** far from his littler scared safely tucked way self. hidden from his fathers wrath. he made his decision. "no. i couldn't be apart of that. ever. perhaps if you dont force creatures to your evil or be wiped out in the dozens would i consider. but you dont give creatures any will. you force things upon them that arnt meant to be. i cannot participate in cruelty of that enormity. sorry to let whatever you are down hard. i dont want to fight you. but if i must."

his warped foe didnt let him finish. with a gesture of her/its talons like crushing leaves, wer evakyl Andorra was there, expression very confused. it gestured again and the young skrill crackled with its natural element. copperwing braced himself. abydos stood up to the night sky. nona too. could he do it? a nod and Andorra hurled itself at copperwing hurtling lightning bolts artificially from its body. "letss ssee what type of creature you really are. you sshall help us make the land ssee the light. or you will ceasse to be." night fury plasma was one thing. electricity was another. he cried out as the bolts cracked through him. Andorra slammed into his back, wings bearing down in a hug and poured in his power. the skrills shrill screech/copperwings high decibels of agony brought the son of many, centurpeade and a half other nadders and nightmares to his aid.

they tried to at least. in some inexplicable manner the god protector appeared before then opened its jaws and fired not known not common violet plasma but a white beam of light into their midst. seconds later it exploded sending dragons everywhere. "myz eye" cried a nightmare whirling about in the air. "what was that?" asked centurpeade, coming about. the son of many happened to be alongside. "some type of hypersensitive substance. explosive when at its destination it appears. logistical standpoint aside id say were in a tight spot." he concluded with an odd look. "by all means dont take my word for it...few do." the nest fury, uncomfortably close in centurpeades opinion, tugged him aside. another white beam in their line of sight. " i really hate that thing" he shouted tumbling end over end as it exploded. ontonycterys/the god protector turned back to watch copperwing. ever one to show her traits at protecting, torrid was never far from her son. his screams of pain were adequate. she avoided the follower in her way swinging his talons wildly, charged a fireball, aimed, shot.

however instead of hotting her once leader in a satisfactory blow, it impacted instead on some sort of unseen force field, glowing white for an instant. "what in the name of dragonsake is that?" **that** turned out to be an unbreachable protective shield the god protectord thrown up to shield all outside forces from unnecessary distractions or interventions as soon as it saw detected unneeded unbelievers. it wanted korin and korin alone or let ontonycterys finish him. fighting through the pain sizzling through hos scales felt his anger returning, all that injustice the stars wrought, all that alliance to accomplish being what he felt was his duty to do: banish the temptation to look at its essence forever. summoning hies anger he funneled it through his four legs, shoving it off and away from his body. he hurled himself at the controlled being before him.

the god protectors hosts eyes narrowed, stopping copperwing on a shield-like surface, reflecting white upon his surprised impact. "iss that all you have to offer. it iss futile you can imagine you can win. give yourssself to the truth child. it was really the essence itself talking to him, not ontonycterys who spoke differently. "can i sizzle and shock this worm of an unbeliever?" Andorra asked joining the god protectors side. it held its claw out and in; copperwing found an invisible unseen force around him like a physical object in the air, crushing his wings to his side unable to breathe. threatening to starve him to unconsciousness. what or who could do this? his foe wasnt even touching him. two monstrous nightmares winged by, saw the odd event unfolding and tried to help. the force of creatures from the horde willing to help, partly at the young female directors insistence, outnumbered those that didnt. individual nightmares had their doubts.

even then they were no match for the possessed being before them. korins snout contorted with rage as the form pivoted slightly. fallen stoicks from own below shot up from the ground below, up and up and up to pierce through the hearts of both would be assistance. the lifeless courposes tumbled without further argument from the sky. "raaaaaaaaaaa!" he cried finding himself free of the force field, aiming at Andorra in a blind fury. he roared resolutely, tearing a hunk out of scales off the youngz skrills chest plate. paranoid, it hurled a lighting bolt not it was young and it went wild. not yet mastery of its abilities like its cousin of old. korins heard the stories from his sacrificed friends nona and obuekhov and abydos: this one was younger. inexperienced. he might stand a chance. he attacked again and again in his rage. leaving it unchecked. "yess child. take your rage. finally you sssee. look at thisss war! your kind did thisss not i. they defy usssss. fulled with hatred. they are unloyal. jussst like thossse you sside with. gone! and left you nothing. and for what? sssimpleminded. thosse who do not sserve desseve to sssuffer." korin gave a cry of hatred from deep inside, letting go entirely, scratching away at Andorra.

the ontonycterys host faced the being hurling themselves at itself unable because of the force field invisibly cutting them off each attempt. a biting sensation seared trough its hosts rear appendage. korin bit down a second time on the thick muscly bits trying to puncture the tough hide, with a superdragon effortless will, it swatted korin off with a bone rattling smack of its tailfins. copperwing flew through the air, slamming into the far side of the force sphere; stunned. his mother and several of his nest furys flew over to him happily releaved intending to whisk him away from whatever wernt on in the place they could not reach, to find themselves barricaded from him there too. torrid beat on the empty invisible air to no avail with her paws. "look into my eyess and tell me they are unpure. that one isss a perfect example of the rebellioussss. unworthy of your sssssympathy of their actionssss in every way." in his instinctual state the nest ruler made the mistake of locking eyes with the god protector. caught, and held.

the hosts brows lowered pointing with one talon to turn around, with the other slashing downward. torrid found her paws suddenly through the solid air as mysteriously as it appeared, to find an enraged angry dragnet barreling at her. "desstroy them. theyll not ssee the light of their own defiance. you know they desserve it they all do." "copper are you allriht ohhh-" her son roared deafeningly unable to form words. a deep gruttel gowl reverberating in the throes of his cry. torrid recognized the hint of her husband there, not in the obvious body markings but in the tone he used. he started grappling, talons out, without doing any damage yet. his nest furys, shocked undecided, then flew in to pull him off her. "do it!" cried the ontonycterys host behind him. "take your place by our ssside asss those that sssseek the truth." seconds awy from delivering a mortal blow to her wings copperwing hard halted like hitting water hat high speed dive. "no wait wait. what am i doing? no this is not right. im supposed to be on your case. not theirs. i banded up for a reason. they are everything you claim not to be but so much more. this corruption of dragons must come to an end."

any sort of rational response a leader might express, complete lack thereof, soulless, flat was the controlled hosts. "they do not dessserve your protection to sshield them from what musst be." copperwing threw off his anger like a shedding itchy exoskeleton of scales, finding his calm determined core once more. hos destiny to defeat this thing once and for all. "its not about the war. its about stopping you from infecting ever more helpless creatures to do your twisted ambition. all the leaders youve created you head your disillusion top turn more creatures to steal kill and put to ruin in the name of truth? thats not truth. its about what you believe. and i believe in freedom for all loving beings to take its course." the hosts body seemed to curl in itws limbs tight to itself bowing its head. "then our talksss are done. my children will desstroy you." for an instant, a moment in time copperwing would never forget, would he come those close to glimpsing out-of-skin the evil forces he fought against, a flash of light both white and bloodiest red, seeped out of the creature before him up and up and up into the sky. leaving him facing loaw veen ontonycterys, dazed and momentarily disorientated on the battlefield once more.

* * *

loaw veen paused from her spree of killings to the monstrous nightmare that thought it better then she, overconfident, and glanced around at her surroundings. despite the vast outnumber totals on her side the gigantic beast and followers combined with her helpful subordinates use at adding a skrill to her arsonel of believers evened the odds with their powers. granted the beast just blew the blinded dragons away who came near it and the young skrill wer evakyl Andorra could use some one on one training (she would when she had the time and this was all over) with aiming its lighting correctly. nether side was really puling any punches in gaining the upper claw but ontonycterys was confidant that would soon change. a good blow to the ego of the ringleaders of each species should do it. in the seething winging masses her eyes sought out the most telling: down near the heart of the fighting taking on two of hers: korin. the small chest ridged shape of her fallen subordinate: vipre, trying to not get killed.

loaw veen smiled. "hm. they think their fighting for whats just and right. fools. theyve been fighting so long they dont know what their fighting _for._ all they have cycling in their minds as that we are the bad dragons." she flew over to wer evakyl Andorras side, approaching from the front like an intelligent beingd do, _not_ wasting their foolish lives head on attacking her follower as it unleashed bolt after bolt, dropping seven or so night furys not of hers, dead. a unified flash of movement caught her eye: copperwing, leading a trio of two dozen assembled night furys, nightmares and deadly nadders in a charge at exxellence. "the nest ruler is employing a will-emboldened tactic. bold: but id expect no less from the dragnet that seemed tove found his grown up skin upon returning from the encounter with his mother." _abandon your fight with the individual band together: put your power in your shots. keep firing. pick them off one by one while their attention is on the larger._ she communicated to those furys whos minds were clear and could hear her command. she flew into the Andorras line of sight, giving it a slightly disdainful look. "yes leader? am i doing well?"

"keep your lightning bolts back until absolutely necessary until i order otherwise. find other methods of beating them. when i find who has my dark mirror, i have my guesses as to whom at the moment, i want to save some to see the light. we can be merciful as well as dedicated to ending those that refuse to see it." her follower had a lot of opponents focused on it. loaw veen found it pure luck itd managed to survive thus far, inexperienced as it was. a monstersus nightmare flew in, scales blazing shouting heroic speech in dragonic. loaw veen flew in, deftly smacked into it hard enough to both disrupt its flight and stun it, and snapped its thin long neck with her fore paws. she payed the pitching curpose no mind. her follower looked impressed and just a little bit jelus. probably because it struck from distance used to the advantages of its power and not physical like her. "why not just attack them all on now with my powers with overwhelming force? they cannot stop me. being under the pink slime of two legged grimes made me a thirst for vengeance. i could easily-"

loaw veen flung herself none too gently into the follower, ramming into its side little to do more then catch her tone. "because i _know_ these blind but stubborn creatures. ive studied them. they will no doubt defy convention and attempt something unexpected. crafty. we will be prepared for it." her look bored down, letting it know who was leader here. "as long as you do _exactly_ as i say." the one dragon nearest happened to be the most demeaninful sarcastic, even at the heat of battle. "fighting over mad power and glory. hah what a load of metal teeth that is." the leader turned slightly, catching denix-replay out of the side of her periphery, voice dark and thoughtful. "i dont require glory for myself. just results for my moon."

* * *

the snort was audible even through the clash and roar of clashing dragons. "yabbidy yabbidy bla bla bla! oh hail the glorious god protector almighty up there in the sky, creater of killers, hisser of snakes, blender of bodies to its brainwashing will...how _ever_ would we do without thee?" loaw veen turned fully to behold her jeering foe. denix. little denix. such a brave but foolish upstart in the thick of war. young when it came to that old game. another night fury thatd fall before her wishing it hadnt. she gestured with one paw, ignoring the resounding boom of exxellence metallic blue flame ball exploding into dozens of this nests former ruling resident. "you jest. but when it comes to the pure essence of who it is, you are meek and humble to its will. nothing is beyond its powers to enlighten the mind." she talked, analyzing as she always did. it always pays well to keep your enemys watched and your allies closer. a wise leader studied their allys strengths as to best use them. likewise her advercairys as to best scrutinize their weaknesses to destroy them. but blasphemers? what of them? there is no good answer to go about dealing with them.

her orange spotted fury shot a fireball knowing itd most licky miss. "im not convinced. no amount of breathing words will do it either. just stop. give up now and hand in your villain badge. its not that hard." so the leader didnt speak, just tackled her. this surprised denix. but then again ontonycterys wasnt the repetitive type like the past fallen leaders before her. "now thats more like it."

* * *

blueflame mewled unhappily as his caper yanked him along roughly while prodding him in his spine with an axe. why use a blunt standard weapon of a low-bound dull witted viking when something sharpd do? where was the villager taking him to? "are you taking me to...um...mighty chief?" no use offending the murderously sour face chiseled over saaxons slash of a mouth. to his supposed answered with a voice like poison. "no. wish i were. under orders to show you the town and the chiefs. believe me if it was up to me id be slitting the throats of little viking pipsqueaks that gave me trouble, but apparently boss has taken a liking or an interest in your living status through that _Alvin_ cherictor, i cant deside witch i dislike more. now shut up and keep movin." and shown the town he was indeed. thy were waiting well alvin was. again, his berserker ally was mercifully absent from the scene. like before outcasts and a few unhappy berserks, as if they wished to be any place accept near him, ringed the parimiter.

evidently the outcasts had crated themselves a stronghold within borks village. holding their own agonist guerrilla attacks. the outcasts nearest saaxon raised their weapons gruffly upon sight of him, lowering them again after a moment as saaxons dirty expression bullied therm back. they stepped aside, probably expecting someone else to hurt, or an excuse to anyway. wanting to poke him ever not-so-gently with those toothpick spears if they were allowed, muttering under their breath "why does the outcasts let **children** into their midst?" as he went past. blueflame heard, though if that was intended as an insult, not a very good one. if his caper heard as well his faces showed no sign of being any more unhappy of a pug ugly then before. unlike last time, alvin paced in a circle walking the wide open parameter of his men, hands clasped behind his huge back, showing impatience.

aslvin turned as soon as saaxons bootsteps battered his ears over the sound of the background noise and hos own tread. he did not look pleased to see the berserker. "so. boy. ye gots one more chance. me wiling to halt me men of yi tell me the secret of the dragons. i know ye have it in ya toi tell. be a good lad." blueflame angrily shrugged off his capers heavy hand. "what do you plan on doing with that information? should i choose to tell?" alvin switched his hands to cross across his chest, thin smile above his beard. "da plight of your Friends? or should we tell them dumb brains we not here for a simple raid on their valuables. not dat well not help ourselves teh them anyways? me men would be happy ta be told their let loose, unrestrained from...unnecessary damage." "get. on. with it." growled dagurs confidant.

Alvin frowned slightly as if hearing a noise in his ears just out of intelligible range. blueflame hid a smile. seemed like this man and other outcast chief got along poorly, hinting perhaps the same ran true of the tribes themselves. perhaps his idea of shattering this pact between the two or at least crating a rift not as faceted as hed thought. if he played his cards wisely it might just work. he wondered what their outcasts chiefs secret from dagur was. "well boy?" "so if i tell you what i know, supposing of course i do know more, what is your plans for it? how for i know youll not run of with it and use it to destroy dragons forever? i know youve taken a high interest, otherwise youd not go to such great lengths to appease me. how do you know i haven't told you all already?" blueflame felt a sharp cold prickling sensation at the back of his neck. saaxons weapon. "dont mes witch chief. he knows more then little viking pipsqueak runts with big ideas of being a strong viking. speak planely."

his voice became more restrained behind john, as if regretting calling him 'chief' at all. since his loyalty lay with dagur. perhaps Alvin knew that too, gesturing with a hairy hand. saaxon grudgingly withdrew his axe. alvin himself were am amused expression, blueflame was apparently asking **him** the questions instead of the other way round. his treacherous black pits for eyes held a twinkle. "me knew you had smarts boy/. too many smarts for his own good. youd make a fine outcast for me own. ohh methinks ya has more ta tell. mutch more. me just wants to find out why of all settlements we get pounded and yours is left alone. is dat mutch teh ask?" the chief played his cards well too. he payed a dangerous game of viking roulette, or should blueflame say **treacherous** with Alvin the treacherous. if he slipped up borks people might well suffer.

"allright that sounds reasonable. how do i know your word is true?" he made it seem as if Alvin had the upper hand here, appeasing his enemy. alvin smiled. "word of a treacherous." blueflamed heard **that** before, way some years back when he had first talked with the man. back when he thought just talking with Alvin yet alone tied up in a chair (another story alvin and the outcasts) facing him was downright frightening. not as much now that timed aged him some. so he got directly to the point. the one question that might surprise his foe. "whats in it for you? what does dagur want so bad from you guies? what at you hiding?" hes right! alvins brows raised as his guard slipped, then lowered thunderously. he regained his composure, controlling himself. then he shrugged with a glare at gaar saaxon. t."me dont see why nor" he proceeded to tell blueflame. "no way. you have a 'sizzle-skaa' (skrill in dragonic) in your possession? what?. how did you do it? how long its been a poisoner? no one i know of has manhandled a sizzle-skaa. do tell."

alvin made a dismissive gesture as if the subject of the berserkers desire was trivial at best. "enough stalling boy. tell me wot me wants to know ill let dagur do what he wants with da place. it might not be too pretty when hes done wit it." blueflame was struck by a sudden brilliant idea. could he tell the chief all that he knew in full with as mutch truth as could be, and fake avin into thinking he lied? a gamble he didnt have to take, as a sudden loud clashing of swards and mace heads rang out against the ring of guards tree men thick to the left ally of buildings. "dont give yup lads! this is the pigs base not much longer! push through!" bork! this one was led by the village chieftain himself. "draw from da east wall. reinforce da fight!" barked the outcast.

moments later **that** previously strengthened wall was attacked from that angle. men from a third section poured in to defend correspondingly. seconds later as of on cue a third bold force swept in to assault. blueflame admired. a triad attack. impressive even for someone showing his age like Bork the bold. unless bork hadnt planned the threefold forces himself. with three sides besieged by battle, with this newest guerrilla force almost breaking through if it hadn't been for the valiant efforts of outcasts holding at bay, saxxons face twitched. outcasts fought both foolishly and poorly, if at all a fighting style in their sloppy movements with a spear or an axe, in saaxons opinion. a berserker wouldnt commit those horrible mistakes,. not with someone as prideful as dagur the deranged at the helm. his soldiers battled better then that. a trained fighting force.

his other matter, the asset. he thought about guarding blueflame but his thirst for knocking heads where fat lazy dimwitted outcasts could not outwon that thought. his catch was only a boy after all. what trouble was he to Alvin the treacherous? puny opponents were a waste of saxxons time. he could easily pound him into the ground if he-DAGUR asked him to. alvin looked at john thoughtfully. "ya seem an intelligent boy, perhaps me allow ya to see the berserkers allies precious prize before we had it over, but only if ya tell me its secret. last chance boy. yer not like yer kin.""hold it! hold everything!" shouted a familiar voice blueflamed hoped not show his crazy deranged face at this hour. "move aside! this is _your chief_ speaking!" the figure shed through thew ranks of his men, pointing a finger as soon as he saw blueflame. alvion brightened as soon as he saw **him**. "ah dagur your just in time to witness our catch tell us da secret of da dragons."

instead of subsiding like previous times dagur drew his sward with a ringing swish from its scabbard on his back, long strides carrying him to his target. " "nice try al. but im done listening to you yammer home treaty and appeasement talks that are as slow as slugs. this crafty creatures gotten in my way of my quarry way too many times for forgiveness. i lost almost a hundred soldiers from listening to his advice. he owes me quite a few arms and legs from that failed incident. he wont be an inturn once im done with him." without saxxon to quiet him he used his knowledge against the alliance. "thats nice. whats not nicer? alvin the treacherous has been treacherous right back to his dear ally. instead of sharing what he has to offer in exchange for your help in totally annihilating us once he has what he wants, he keeps it from you. would you like to know for instance the prize hes been keeping it from you is a sizzle-skaa? those rare lightning creatures? and hes had it all this time from you. hell play with the berserks, you proud dutiful warriors, until he no longer has use for them. hes not your ally. hes using you."

alvin looked furious, with a roar his double edged sward sang from their twin scabbards, launching his bulk across the empty space at blueflame. only to be stopped short from their destination by a single sward. alvin looked at his ally in surprise, dagur equally as angry. not that hed been protecting the worm by mistake of course. suddenly his target to destroy suddenly became alot more interesting not to mention valuable. alvins expression was mildly startled. "wot ya doin dagur?" "protecting an investment al." so blueflame was right. the outcasts had left out the sizzle-skaa bit. the berserker alliance could've been left riding a lie provided by the other. this wasnt mutual need at all. it was hostage leverage. if the berserkers wanted it alive, theyd have to do what alvin said. break the backbone of berks village and obtain johns knowledge, then he could have it to do as he wished. alvin was known for his double and triple cross. he could have one of his men accidentally slip on a wobbly tile for example, spear the creature in the heart, and blame all on the guards incompetence the berserkers lost a prize.

but...what did dagur want with it? and if the outcasts lost its hold over it and if dagur decided to assault alvins settlement, could john persuade the chieftain to show mercy and let ot go? if the tablesd turned so quickly from dagur being his vengeful executioner to his all our savior (for now), he might have time to mine it. he mulled over how the situationd reversed just like that, keeping behind dagurs back. amazing how ones life sometimes soly depended on knowledge. in viking times it soly saw the difference of a carefree life like mr and mrs smith, sometimes it ended like the outcasts poacher. sometimes it didnt matter how much you know or told, you were still terminated out of spite. enemies could turn into allies iun an instant. or the reverse. knowledge: a valuable commodity, depending on how the viking perceived it. sudden vohemnentce from the dogfight broke blueflames reverie. alvin made a wild undercut at dagurs legs. he leaped. alvins great hammy dist crashed into the side of the berserks jaw, sending him off a few steps.

the outcast chief surged after blueflame anew. "ill cut ya to pieces." he swing. the blade missed johns eyes by a whisker, only die to hos failing out of reach at the last moment. "hey worm take this." a clunk knocked into the back of his feet. he took another step backward and saw what it was, dagurs main sward. blueflame couldnt ask the chief why hed parted with such a weapon but two ideas came to mind. ether dagurs berserk tenancies were taking him over making him not think straight or he was more valuable then he thought. he picked up the heavy weapon and held it up in front of him as of to wart off evil spirits, just as alvins new overhead cut bit into the blade with am arm jarring sound. "chief! chief alvin!" came a cry. a surprisingly scrawly unhealthy looking outcast cane pelting into the ring, shoving through flying fists and swinging swards of the opposing forces to reach alvin. he didnt wait to be addressed. bowing stiffly. "message from your settlement back home. so sorry to say my lord that...the sizzle skaa has escaped."

alvin whipped his body, and his sowed arm, back toward the messenger. if he hadnt been in a bow the weapond taken his head off. "wot? alone? how can one beast escape by itself? it was guarded heavily no matter wot. i made sure of it." the messenger straightened. "it had help my lord. two someones. two nert furts. spotted fleeing south. nether of our air defenses on that wall could bring them to earth with their arrows. but ther was good news my lord. another was found fatally wound and...electrocuted burns as if by that creature. it was not in any condition for our blades to finish it." (loaw veens twisted follower aviis perseverin wounded was dead by the hand of man) dagurs expression showed a hint of berserkidness. his mind flashed back to that encounter many moons ago, of a certain almost dare say it cheeky nert furt getting away from him many a time. could it be it? and if this prize had a once captive lizards prize in possession, now did not, and this messenger wasn't lying...then there was no need for an alliance...was there

dagur hoisted his daggers, his sward tossed at that asset to protect his runty self. "to battle berserkers! our alliance was a setup and has just turned sour! turn n your heavy, sallow fat faced partners! turn on them with berserker spirit and joy!" a whoop and a holler from dagurs forces, only far too happy to do just that, displeased to have to work with and stand guard next to these bad breathed villagers with too many missing teeth in the first place. the outcasts, once jointed together, were pushed back now on two fronts, from offensive on borks tribe to defensive from both, the battlefield dissolving into chaos every every man for him or herself. the line of men wavered. dagur launched himself anew at alvin the treacherous who once found half loyal berserkers at his command now aiming to replace the chieftain. alvin drew his other sward and swing hard. dagur happily took the place of a berserker stumbling awkward, leaving his shin open to a swift kick from the man. without the jointed forces if the alliance now fractured since ut was formed in the outcast village, bork the bold was able to take advantage of the chaos to penetrate the original defencive ring of alvins makeshift fort.

he led his villagers villagers in a charge toward is center, capture the ringleaders if possible and secure his settlement, root out the invaders. with the berserkers more enthusiastic about going after outcasts and outcasts trying to war off both their numbers and borks, that job was easier done then said. mr smith was nor far in the wave of his chiefs march and it was he that stopped near blueflame as the battle in the square began. 'ah lass yer alive. how swell eh?" (so much for a welcoming prep talk) while fending off a bnow from one of dagurs soldiers. he had a few more fresh nicks on his arms and a black eye, otherwise he was alive and well. he caught john looking at his battle wounds and smiled an almost father;ly smile. "notin to worry about. these feet are still adancin and these arms are still aswingin. got these slashes from an unwieldy troublesome man" so it must have been gaar saaxon "in the high cliffs over the village asking with as surplus if hos fat apelike toothpick men."

but dontcha worry lassie, we beat em. bork dont let no pug-uglies take our home. oh no we dont. i see ya found yourself a nice pitchfork." blueflame held up the almost-bigger-then-him sward hed previously dragged on the round. "um well technologically it is dagurs-" "good. come join the battle sonny." called magnus, whistling brightly in tune, or rather wildly teeth rattleingly **out** of, as he gave chase to a pack of fleeing outcasts, with a woman following suit john could only assume was helga. "i got a hundred brave berserker soldiers here al" warned dagur, dancing in with his shiny pointy knives, covering his men where vulnerable.

"i wouldn't count on betraying your ally." "ya believe da word of a boy over your sworn ally?" alvin asked defending himself. the other snorted. " _what_ ally? youve hardly treated us as equals. even back at your settlement waging our tribes make weapons during that red sun nonsense i felt your scorn. this was your idea to bring us together, you should've known my men were itchy to turn on you at my word. the word of a berserk. we know youre entire being revolves around treachery. get real. duid you really think an alliance between two of the most powerful tribes woulds last? we quarrel in merry violence, it is the viking way." alvin kicked out at a berserker attempting to sneak around to his blind spot, striking him in the knee. he howled and dropped his weapon, one punch in the face and he was out, turning to meet dagurs knives with his blades. "but i must say, i expected more from you all. i thought you would've played your hand of dice better then that."

* * *

The line of furys hovered on one side and the corrupted on the other: the final battle begun for the fate of all dragons. No tranced deadly nadders running amok by aranidaes design, no maddened monasteries nightmares gleefully going in for the burning kill, no two legged attacks on night fury installations. Just their very own, with a different frame of mind, on equal ground now. "you have to do this vipre. You have to stop her if not now the whole Land will be under her control for reals. The god protector will have every night fury under its mind influence, no one will be safe once that happens. The night furys on her side…they dont know what their missing out on. They dont know what their _doing_ vipre. They dont know. We have to help them. "

"but i dont want to" the spiked taled male stammered. "vipre now!" shouted denix and copperwing together desperately."just be the voice of reason to her. Do it! Simply say what i say back to her using the power of your voice. It should still work even freed." Vipre stuttered hed try as the night fury around them fought and clashed. Loaw veen meanwhile snout a mask of ghastly anger surged toward them. "you thought snotty perserverin could stand against me? You thought she was the tool of goodness? Shes finally dead this time and there aint no sudden rising from the depths of the ashes to avenge. Nether will Nona help you. The one true source of Arial combatantcy to me. she cannot save you now. There is only one true leader. _Me._ Is there no one to challenge me?" "when i began my life" started copperwing echoed through the magical voice of vipre.

"i didnt realize what hardships as night furys faced or face now. I was innocent and nieeve back then.. i knew who my father was to to borne me into the nest but not my mother. Silverwing never even spoke of her, if me mentioned in a diminutive offclaw manner and of her life as of no importance to myself or him,. After so long o d finally did find her right in front of my dismissive snout the whole time. I found someone i cared for. Somewhere in this nest of stone you want to take by force lurks your mate too, im sure, i can help you find that dragon. Imagine all that we and you too shall lose if we all fall prey to the moons will spellbinding us hostages." "words cannot hinder the greatest leader in the history of the land, outsmarted by no one and nothing. The dead perseverin was right in one aspect i should've listened closer: killing you when i had multiple chances would've been on our best interests.

Kahuakhaun when he had a son but forgot about him entirely like the brazen overthinking fool he was during his reign was costly, as that allowed for rising patriotism to topple us. I see that. But now its a threat i as supreme leader will not tolerate!" roared ontonycterys brazenly. Vipre continued unbroken summoning you More willpower. "but i found him. This dragon was my mother. Torrid. Completely opposite from my fathers ways. I dont know how that all transpired. Maybe my father hated her and sent her away out of his sight. Perhaps she found silverwings antics unbearable and left shortly after being mates as she figured hed never change. But here i am. Alive to tell the tale. Summoned enough strength to finally find my place in my colony. Not as nest ruler by as a sort of saint to tell dragons all species not to be sucked into the seduction youre all in right now."

"Im not angry anymore. I understand your tortured plight, and when i bestow ruler-ship over to the next dragon in line willingly im certain theyll do everything known to correct any lingering discontent. Everyone should be contented and happy. The followers should be too. It isnt about death and crusading. Its about loving life to the fullest and mingling with other species and the two leggeds if they so choose. Its time to stop this nonsense. break free to the voice in your head. Its time to come home, seleena." Loaw veen finally reached them, momentary confusion etched into her body posture then snapped the calm facade back into place. Denix-replay and torrid readied themselves for battle. "charming. Just charming patriotism. No seriously grab my paws to wipe my eyes. But seriously do you think any of your nonsense will work on me? Ive lived through deception of my sub leader and i killed her." the intelligent eyes bored venomous daggers at vipre "...in a way"

"Valdis isn't coming back to your side anytime soon. Look around you. these followers serve me. Vipre shall be next; unfinished business with tying up loose ends. Proving these two have showed themselves unbelievers to the cause leaving me only one viable option. They shall continue to do so. Look how many _believe!_ Over half of your precious nest came to see reason. Why must it be so hard for the rest particularly you five to hold them back? What right do you have if they want to join us to deny their free will? Do you really want to be witness to two halves of a jointed nest slaughtering eatchother? All because you cloud their minds? Mustnt that hurt inside? Ending the lives of three admittedly very stupid furys so i could take off was necessary. If there was a more humane way of going about that i should've taken it. But alas there was none. We must be allowed to cleanse this land and survive to accomplish it. Those that block our way…well…you get the picture" she finished reasonably.

Vipre through korin spoke. "Yes i do. As i have stated before back when we met those monstrous nightmares (another story nightmare of a problem) i explained to you my point of view. We cannot fly the land with the fear the next moment we might not be ourselves. Some reptilian killing tool for use only for the night sky to move about like dragon scales on a dirt pile. No. I cannot allow that seleena. That is where i draw the line. the conversion of my mother is the last straw" Hovering in place loaw veen raised all her limbs in mock surrender. "well then weve reached an impacce. Whatever will you do?" she taunted her back spines ridged. Copperwing spoke for himself. "it seems we have" expression grim. The leaders gaze roved from snouts to another landing on vipre the subtle traitor mentally selecting a target to kill first. She flapped closer goading them.

"i believe now if you perhaps recall my warning i carved with the vermilion of those dragons, so ill say it again. _I encourage those of you reading this to encourage the_ _right_ _decision before your time is up dragons_. Unfortunately you all played ignorant long enough. Your time is up. _Where i am going glory and power await. Where i am coming…destruction awaits_!" she shot onto vipre clawing seeking to end his life quickly as he was the most dangerous to her subsuming to his powers. She didnt get far. Something slammed into her knocking her off balance at the same time she heard a voice yell "no korin dont!" as she let go of a pathetically yowling vipre as if he was being stung vengefully by bees her smile was crafty. So the nest ruler wanted to battle her eh? So be it. "i dont want to do this anymore that attack hurt." Whined vipres voice.

"i dont care. Keep him talking its the only way to stop her attack. you perish our task will be alot harder" ordered korin trading blows with loaw veen. "i dont even know where that ability comes from. Why do i have it?" vipre protested hoping to weasel his way out. "that power comes from within you. It had nothing to do with what you became. you just have to believe in yourself and it will flow easily. Believe you can do this vipre. I do. So do all the dragons around you. " korin dodged a fireball. "thats not true youre just saying that to abuse me" cried the male backing away. Loaw veen hung back gaze on him as well.

"thank you for that wonderful piece of information, nest ruler. That is most useful. Hear me aranidae: i killed your scemig perseverin. I will terminate you the same way i terminated her: out-thinking all opponents. In a game of wits, vipre and copperwing, it is the smart player who seizes the opportunity." The final blow to cripple the male just as hard as hed attempted to do to her with his voice. "you, like your murderous sub leader, were merely used." Instead of the reaction shed expected thus far vipre squared his wings. "maybe, but these dragons are right and furthermore they rescued me from the darkness. Theyre my Friends. So i will use my ability. I have enough courage to face you." This brought a smile to ontonycterys jaws. "well well well so the dragon has found his rough and tumble side? Do you really want to dance this dance? I bested you in the games of the mind you wished to play. Do you seriously think you can do it again?" korin backed away the others taking that as a sign to accompany him.

Time seemed to slow down the noise of clashing nest fury against follower fading to background muffled noise. The wind whistled lonesomely though the divide in between leader and one her previous, talons twitching readily, nosterels snorting smoke. "go ahead aranidae… **talk** to me. Bore me to death by that **great** ability they say won you loyalists back in the day, before it all fell apart within the space of the year. Go head, vipre go ahead and waste your breath as by the minute night furys around you, those _precious_ souls youre side is so touchy of are executed by the dozens for refusing to believe in the mighty god protector!" she spread her paws wide goading him.

"dragons die by the score and soon youll join perseverin in resting eternally!" An uncontrollable roar burst from vipre, flinging himself at her, giving way to animalistic rage. "my friends!" screeched vipre, gouging four lines into the leaders back. "my predecessors" he sucked his stomach curve in as ontonycterys teeth snapped closed on his vulnerable area by a a whisker. "my family!" he poured on the flames right pinpoint at her muzzle. she reeled from the blasts. "do not deserve your twisted ambitions. You do not belong. Leave! Us! Alone!" unconscionably he poured the power into his voice. "wherever you go, wherever your evil messed up mission takes you, by an entity that burrows into your mind driving out rationality using your body as a ghost for its will, we will be there to stop you. I and others can step up and put our paw down. Its time you saw reason."

"you…you traitor!" at last loaw veens anger surfaced. "i will kill you and shove your mangled scales up your throat. I never should've made you leader." Shed backed up unthinkingly into the grasps of denix, the son of many and dragon/deathbringer restrained her. A seething vipre closed the distance, smoke wisps curling from his jaw. "its over. We have won. Your time as messed up leader. The moon has just lost control over you." Loaw veens own strategy shed enacted (another story enemy of my enemy) had abandoned her at last. She _had_ lost herself to anger in a way in her final hours, with the very helpful deadly nadders and monsterous nightmares prodded by sleuthor to join the fight from oppression of free will joining forces with the nest furys who remained free, there was no escape from. It was like glimpsing the true beast underneath the calm shell shed thrown up for so long.

"arrgghh! You think youre _so_ smart, _so_ brave! when what seriously lurks beneath is a scared dragnet child in grown up scales. Misguided! Twitchy! frightened! You were nothing until the god protector met you. It gave you a chance. But you decoded to first chance you got to betray me, including loaw dagny in it. These resistant furys somehow, somewhere, gave you back your courage. i suspect correctly on your journey over the sea is were it found you. I will turn it to ashes." The clump of furys expected loaw veen pulling way from then at vipre, not suddenly raising her backspines and bucking back at her. Denix cursed and let go as did the son of many. not by choise. ontonycterys spines pierced her soldier letting out a cry of pain. The leader exploded toward vipre ready to savage him. Korin sighed. He hadnt wanted to do this, but now there wasnt another option. Their longtime foed become unlike the leader hed known. Unless they stopped her she could do who knows what villainy. It was time for her to go. "im sorry about this seleena. Im sorry. Dragons fire your plasma at her and dont let up! She has to be silenced! Im sorry seleena. I hope you forgive me."

Time appeared to slow down. Fireballs prured from the maws of eight dragons peppering loaw veen with impacts. So much smoke. Vipre added his own. Even with all that bombardment she suddenly appeared out of the smoke cloud, snout a mask of devilish glee as she reached for vipre. Vipre charged one last huge fireball inside, aimed carefully, fired. That blast one caused a huge explosion of steam, blowing back the nest furys. "noooooooooooooooooo‼!" came loaw veens cry. Then there was silence. The swan song was so loud the nearest infected followers stopped their skirmishes against nest fury or nadder and gazed upon that cloud, evilly thoughtful. Copperwing Caught their gaze. Then more and more. He understood their intentions. "dont. I know why you think it. But we have nadders on our side. They dont want to harm you as my furys dont. Come back to us, brother and sister. I know you are lost and believe that lie. It isnt true. You were once friends here. Not one of you is to be blamed for your actions. We want to help you."

Stony oppressing silence from the hovering followers. Theyd been under ontonycterys talon for too long, they were too deeply loyal to her and her brand of snake tongued lies. "hes right" spoke up vipre finding his shaky courage. What a transformation for the male: this was his moment. _The voice of reason_. Something twinged inside korin and he realized vipre was using his powers again. "you have to listen to me. Once upon a time i was like you. Twice so. But i came to break free. It is a trance brother and nest sister. Its not for your mind. It seizes it. Twists it." "how do we know youre even telling the truth? Perhaps you are the twisted ones" shouted a follower: loaw vizor cicada. Vipre bared his teeth at the masses. "just hear me out." "why should we?" the other: korgan. "we know from our one true leader whom we serve what you can do. We are not deaf to your ability. When you talk, something you can turn off and on by force of will. If you use it, makes others slowly come under your control. The more you blather the more it becomes someone you can do whatever you want with. We will not listen. Your master in the skies will not hear it. Being not one of us makes it worse."

Dragon joined vipres side. Former bitter follower and scheming retaliating leader, now in the same situation. Friends. "just listen to him. If you dont believe him believe me now. Im just like your status. Breeder of darkness. Equal. I am servitude to this thing beside. We had our differences. Lots of difficulties. But as weve seen, all is well. Your leader is gone. We can heal you. Look at me i was healed." Down below that assumption was not entirely accurate, regrettably. No dragond gone down to check if that mangled form really ceased breathing. Ontonycterys. But loaw veens battered form burned beyond recognition was still very much alive. Her eyes snapped open, the overconfident furys merely caused her great pain and scarring, humiliation, unconsciousness. Burt not death. And right here whered shed slammed to earth, with no dragons attention on focused her, shed blsat to oblivion the one night fury truely capable of stopping her now. It wasnt copperwing. Silly creature was only a dragnet not as wise hed love to believe.

She was too broken now physically to lead any dragon. But shed take with her the last target with her. _forgive me master_ she thought in her mind. Words were beyond her now. Bones were broken all over inside her. But she had enough strength to summon one last fireball, to take out the intended target. Aimed accurately she could kill the one pesky problem. Then her followers could continue to cerry out the god protectors mission without her. Shed accepted shed not live long when the ground rushed to meet her. Only one thing mattered to her now. Stop the night fury who could sway anyone. Lifting her head (oh look the bones still worked there) she conjured one last fireball inside her, she aimed to unleash it at the stomach of the cause of her trouble. The fury who thought himself so heroic up there, about to pitch from the sky and join her as a mangled wreck on the earth: vipre.

Sweet hate thoughts bubbled in her mind at this perfect opportunity to deal the blind one last mental blow. At the split second the fireball crossed her retracted jaws, another slammed into it from above accompanied by a sharpened tree branch. Loaw veen screamed as the two projectiles collided in her face, igniting the leftover gasses in her throat as well as the pointed end of the pole pierced her clear through the head. Killing her instantly. the scream followed a massive chain reaction explosion that interrupted the dragons above. dragon shielded his eyes from the purple glare as did torrid. When the smoke dissipated there was no sigh of loaw veen anywhere. Though the strong stench of burned dragon scales hinted at an unpleasant fate. However there was a dragon howling a ways away where there wasnt before.

A very familiar and thought dead dragoness ontonycterys claimed shed killed. Forearm still poised where shed tossed the stoick was one very tattered near dead sub leader. whips of smoke curling from her jaws. It was she whod made the final blow to silence forever her leader. Frankly shed caused the dragoness too much trouble to remain undamaged that long anyway, assumed shed never make the actual killing blow that she was known for, stupid ontonycterys. "i win, veen! I win! I do! I win in the end! i win! I triumph!" crowed loaw dagny perseverin "i _win_! disbelief marred korgans and cicadas snouts among with many others gazed down at the sub leader. others like vipre were shock. still others like denix-replay and others knowing her less, determined to free her.

across the nest the nest furys turned threatening snouts toward her, the followers, exxcellence and skrill in limbo for the moment unsure. they knew whod silenced their leader. they wernt neccecairly keen on joining a certain someone doing those acts, then again she was a leader still if in very poor shape. on the third talon they went exactly going to stop their foes from doing whatever they wanted to her. so there they hovered. perseverin shifted her gaze at all the dragons including a few she disliked, Indicating a fate she disliked. furys furious on every side. these poor old excuses. didnt they know a swarm of now her followers waited to dismantle all life here? "we will never surrender! well fight to the end!" cried a gold fury. not of hers. perseverin had lost it to madness when she woke up from near death long ago, ripping the sticks from her underside. her feeling now was pity for these estranged souls. "i dont want surrender. i want utter defeat _crashing do_ wn around you. I...AM...PERSEVERIN! perseverin the unconquerable! " she curled her bloody claws, then let out a witches cackle, soaring straight up into the sky. up and up and up until the blue of the sky prevented her from being seen.

silence around the battlefield, most including perseverins skrill and exxellence with their heads in the clouds metaphorically speaking. now, right now, the followers were vulnerable. their strongest link ontonycterys was defeated, aranidae was no longer a threat and the deranged maddened perseverin was..."what just happened?' said torrid, snout whipping this way and that looking for an answer. "i think" said korin piecing the words together himself "that valdis sacrificed herself. she was originally trying to stop us i think while she helped us stave off the monstrous nightmares before learning their mistake when the sun set, but mainly contented herself with ending them. then she tried to betray seleena. her fucus shifted entirely to her...and...now that that goal is attained she gave herself up, she will...suffocate herself of air up there...she will be no more. she didnt want to have to be the leader next in line to deal with us, fight us, be beaten back at repeated attempts. i think all rationality went to the winds when she honed on seleena. she just wanted to be done fighting her war for her master, let others bludgeon her battles for her. ive seen this happen now over and does this to us...to all of us!"

he turned, raising his voice once more to the followers scattered about the air. "she chose to be done! she is not coming back! all your leaders are gone! the ones who told you what to do! i may not know what they chose to end themselves this way, but i do have a clue: they were greedy! arrogant! they would rather descend into destruction then accept that we are truing to help them! doesnt this just prove the more the thing mind linking into your bodies now, controlling you from the inside out, your bodies? your claws? you killing in its name...is wrong?"many lowered their claws relaxing slightly nodding, accepting this reasoning, just as the moons voice hissed "fight them, children of the night. fight them now. thissse that do not seeeever ssssuuffer." "be free!" spoke copperwing utterly exhausted. and there on the nest fury nest...they were.

* * *

the dutiful nest fury patted last of the damp mud, there being a heavy rain not long ago, possibly there to wash away their sorrows/rage/taintedness after the battle. the last creature was a solid azure badly scratched up dragoness defending her nest ruler from her own kind, using a slow controlled burn to solidify the mud pit a night furysd been buried, fighting for justice and right, the same values their nest ruler up on the top of the nest, avoiding the spots of others vermilion of the opposed fighting forces, stood copperwingthefury. standing near where his powerhouse father once rested his talons to the stone. with evil intentions once staring down at the assembled vastly larger joined colony of two nests dragons and dragonesses, all now freed wit the aid of the dark mirror passed from claw to claw, restrained until the sun was referred into them, no longer bound to the pull of the god protectors will.

the deadly nadders had left abruptly seeing no further use at being here, and the monstrous nightmare horde including many of their directors left, not before a few like sleuther and the young female directer whos name it turned out was Athena) exchanged a few words with him. torrid finished licking off the blood of her sons face, feeling very awkward as his colony patiently waited for what he had to say. "allight. thats the best i could do to clean you up. go get them copper. you can do it." copperwing pushed her aside disgusted. "yes torrid. i do got it. can you stop protecting and mothering me so much?" "oh stop this torrid nonsense. your my son after all arent you? you can afford to not be so rigid as a rhino at all times." copperwings discomfort deepened. "yes mom." torrid nodded accepting his response, backing off spreading her wigs to descend down to join korins brothers.

the son of silverwing gazed at his safe furys. they were his friends. the son of many, centurpeade, bored faced denix replay, and torrid. once just another nest sister with a nagging twinge the nest ruler couldn't shake, and now finally his known mother. a part of his life found scattered in the ruble of the god protectors crusade of purification on all existence. she was right. he could do this. his colony needed to hear it. for those who remembered kahuakhaun standing in this very spot spinning a very different web of ensnaring lies. backed by the stars. itd come full circle "gathered Friends! nest brother and nest sister!" the rows of snouts stared up at him patiently loyal to his word. intent. "do not hide your grief! do not hide your shame! loaw veen- _seleena_ may be gone but i assure you we are better off now then ever!" vipre tucked his tail closer to himself, on the furthest outer ring of furys, and averted his eyes.

"some of us have killed out there! our very own! others! helpless! begging for mercy! perhaps it was personnel! your own brother! a kit! a sister! some of you thought you knew, but twisted by anger and bloodlust you did not see it! see them as who they were! this is a sad time for all of us! many dragons have perished on both sides! the night sky turned us against eatchother! for Seven years! my father i thought started it! many of you will recall that! i understand if he cannot be forgiven! or me! i admit i too was sucked down a dark devious path by...someone!" vipre seemed to shrunk further into himself. them suddenly rolled his shoulders back and locked eyes with his nest ruler. the new remembering aware nest fury. "probably all of us at one time or another been where ive been! its been a hard flight to get where we are now!"

a momentary image of valdis perseverin claws ripping the life out of abydos in one final blow, Nona being felled by darts of a deadly nadder and the most recent: obuekhov lost somewhere in the cave the monstrous nightmares went into instead of korin. obuekhov, whod probably perished going down in a scaly carecess of charred bones meant for him. hed pressed vipre for answers as to her whereabouts and anything beyond his lulling her to his voice power , but hed cowered and refused to speak. korin didnt press the poor creature. he felt bad enough as it was. he thought back on a better of his interesting encounters with the three furys, on happier times. "three very dear friends started this! the good things! no longer beholden to the things holding therm back! those brave souls sacrificed themselves for the greater good they knewd come to pass, they hoped in their heats: the peaceful moment were in right now! have been for several times before evil came on and swept it away! i intend to keep promises! this a moment to honor their memorable passing! to many of youll remember who im talking about! abydos Nona and obuekhov, even nightflight for her smart flirting with my fathers eye, had a parts to play in this war! but it has ended with seleena!" he thought of the words he hadnt told anyone even torrid; not that itd mean mutch to her.

"that is why...from this moment fourth...i cant do it! im stepping down as nest ruler of this colony! i did my part! you do yours! many sad things occurred in our past its time to move forward with ourselves the dark time are over! a new era shall begin with the new nest ruler! i select among you brave survivers of our kind, were shall rebuild ourselves! our very lives! we can mate normally in peace once more! have dragnets! unworried the purified fate of the moon holds waiting on our minds! whens the last time you all were not wearied constantly by threat of corruption of your mind and body to think of that? we are not tools to its will! we are free to do as nature intends with us! may we continue to be a thriving species long after! it is for this reason, in the past, furys have fought and callanged for my role over you, to watch out and protect and guide us in the best possible way! when we were distraught, abydos selected me for the best rule!."

"he saw the courage i myself didnt know know for sure i possessed! he saw it! when i did not see! time as a tool of a servant of evil. nearly twice, has helped me find my place! it isnt ruling you, brothers and sisters! it is being _among_ you, having a Normal life! its for this reason i wont fight any would be challenger! please: if one would use and wield its power over others to make decisions id probablyd be afraid to a take for our learning our colony astray or into further ruin step fourth or speak your mind!" the minimal hubbub of disbelieving voices of the nest quieted, torrid from her perch almost did so, until memory of her husband silverwing and what bitterness combined with possessive lust met power and leadership did to him, she remained still. she would not let herself be that. or her son she told herself. copperwings cateared frilled head gazed down until a female with pure red scales rose up momentarily on her hind legs, wings for balance. her voice was surprising rich harmonious and deep.

"i will nest ruler! i volunteer! though i doubt myself id get us through these though times! if if cannot fight for the role, i would be honored to accept your generosity only if your sure thats what you want? i can hand over the role any time to wish! id be a poor substitute! you are a far better role model then any of us could be!" copperwings jaws twitch into a world weary smile. beings still doubted themselves and questioned him. not a bad thing generally. natures rarest flying lizard were voicing their thoughts. their minds. no longer under the oppressive thrall of the god protector. korin merely nodded. "you requested this role. then so shall you be."

...

while the nest furys gathered around their new furyess, copperwing headed inside a cave alone lower down in the nest. part of him felt relieved and strangely detached at the sane time. ever since the idea slipped into his mind under a two legged contraption when they led him back to the nest of the controlled by perseverin (another story), the idea of leadership was present in his mind. if he at first could trick the majority of followers into believing he was his father by his pelt pattern he could say this and the correct way to do things. little did korin know what hed gotten himself into; or the control of the stars was all consuming as hed thought or how hed painted his back as a target for low dagnys 'riotous' murderous wrath. following snodussens/nonas fall back to good, abydos made him nest ruler.

a form of leadership. korind grown accustomed to wielding his authority as a force of peace amungst his colony, originally two separate nests kahuakhauns hatred tore apart and reformed into his army. thousands string. the night furysd stuck together ever since, following leader after leader. now with seleena gone and the immediate threat of the moons lure quelled, copperwing gave up his role. necessity he told himself. he felt hed contained his powers well but with power came responsibility, looked upon by all for all decisions, considered law in the minds of some. power could ept. corrupt. lead one astray. become like his father: coveting it. skitiiva was the fuel to his fire. without it he felt strangely distant. in a daze., now ge felt what his father mustve felt like when the moon stripped him of the bloodlust. one final question lay on the dragons mind; one vipre himself wouldn't or couldn't satisfy. where was obuekhov? the fates of Nona and abydos were assured but not of her. was she still where vipre tranced her? had the nightmares burned her? copperwing hadnt found the answer. flying a fast as he could to live another day to give his shaken nest furys someone to follow out across the sea.

his first detour to his destination the teen took a sharp fliht up to the back of a cave, tracing those turns hed remembered flying in and there it lay. the heavy month long smell of decay. the first time, or rather the fith, this time from dissension from one of their own in copperwings nest rule. if korind not been asleep and there to reassure his nest sister, seleena wouldn'tve gone for the the others in the cave and killed them. copperwing saw light ahead, the stench stronger. the caved long ago been cleaned of the carcessess but not of her reason for korins visit: her carving. he wondered if seleena had foresaw this, calculative as she was, that hed return to it. the cryptic riddle filling her warning of what might befall them if they did not listen, he hadnt remembered all the reactions going around the cave like ominous bats. his was determination. pure and simple. korin liked to believe it was that steadfastness that got him through to lead a peaceful life pressing ion on the dragnet, if he could have save her he wouldve. but time, coupled with wr, didnt. was vipres words right?

was he afraid of the truth? loaw veen was gone. the moon without its followers, powerless. it didnt mean anything no more. nether did her words. he focused and blew the carving off the wall. no innocent nest fury needed to see this and wondered what it meant. the past was past, starting today. it should stay that way. he didnt hear the pad of pawsteps carefully calculating its approach until it spoke: "i never did like those words. im glad you are here to address that. im glad you took care of that for future generations never to set eyes upon. i also saved the life of one former follower who found reason, a dragon you know as deathbringer" copperwing whirled surprised. was that the voice he thought hed not heard? a shadowy figure with wings hulked in the shadows where the tunnel emptied out into the cave. copperwings ear plates lifted, heard hovering on the verge of soaring, scarcely daring to believe. "is that you? really?" he coudnt see the expression on the others face but he was sure it was there. "i am"

* * *

"and that my son was the grand episode me and my nest furys, divided once upon as time and came back together by a miracle to make sure no one glances at their moon. Now please: stop asking daddy to retell this tale yet again. Im sure theres better stories await. Hmmm. Probably better ones one yet to come. Now go play." "aww bwut dwaddeh" collectively sighed the dragnets, little night furys no older then two years old, seven of them not actually 'daddy.' They just used to migrate around his defiant little dragnet to _sigh_ yet again hear the tale of how his nest furys eventually in an amazing feat triumphed over evil. Accept they were no longer his. Copperwingthefury had stepped away from the title to settle, raise a family. Found a mate of his own after 'she' passed away, a tragic personal time for him, to produce this wonderful and brown striped dragnet. Denixs traits. Denix! Who would've thought such a pairing. "allright allright. Away with you. Shoo! _Father_ needs his wee little space. you greedy brats leave old gramps alone, got enough tellings of it to make me remove my ear frills. All accept for you, dragnet. Apparently daddy thinks your rascally self belongs to us. a miracle that happened." Copperwingthefury laughed good naturidly. "common hon, play nice. They mean the best."

that was the other thing. He no longer felt those dark patriotic urges to wage total war on the god protectors servants that spitting trait of his father silverwingthefury/first leader kahuakhaun. Hed settled. Calmed. As he grew into his years mature enough to step back and let life throw its naturally occurring obstacles at them. At least no ones looking at the moon again. They'd drastically altered their sleep schedule to accommodate. Korin no longer considered it a threat. Nor the largest group of deadly nadders, now succeeded by different nest ruler, Saul, if hed heard rumors correctly. Or the monstrous nightmares, multi directed, whom the higher upped sleuthor returned alive from the huge war to end all wars thirty years ago when he was so young to deliver the news to her kind. Hed understood it was all a freak accident for the horde that theyd layed siege to the land, their nest, human settlements. (another story nightmare of a problem) the sund been in a once in a millennia cycle, they couldn't help their violent reaction to it.

copperwing couldn't hold them accountable. Thirty tears older, he still couldn't blame. The god protector could have as much dominance as it wanted, but avoided contact, it was all alone up there. It powers and whatever untold mind-dominating, soul-purging body-altering evil it could do was useless if a dragon wasnt ensnared in its shining allure. No more crazy dragons running around the land waving a 'bow to my belief or ill butcher you' banner. Copperwingd observed the drastic changes between infected or not. Tendency to anger and violence, of the intentional kind, was starkly null. All dragons were aware of its temptation. It took the heavy decimation of the night fury species to doubters/uninformed types about its dangers. But theyd come through victorious. oh, there was no doubt in the fact its infected leaders over time, loaw azeros aranidae especially, Known as vipre once again mostly secluded to himself these some thirty years later, implore the god protector was paitent, months, days months years...it meant nothing it it.

Korin disagreed, informed, kept under wraps, insuring all the Newest nest rulers furys felt included, insured another bitter silverwing-kahuakhaun fiasco not rear its ugly head again. Nothings perfect: nature's ran its course. Dragons got angry. Life happened. properly managed, a disaster of that dangerd not rise. Korin was utterly confidant in the newest nest rulers ability to meet those needs. Life of a nest ruler after abydos promoted him wasnt for him, hed chosen. too stressful and demanding. Being looked up to all the time was good in his younger year was great; save for the 'oopsies' as his dragnet put therm or letting loaw azeros get the best of him once and the 'huge opposite' of perseverins submaripper exxellence breaking up his reconciliation between monstrous nightmares and his own and the near total annihilation of the mysterious island across the sea.

Thank goodness its wild been free to go back to being docile in the seas whence it dwelled. Now its a life of him and his family. "i said go. Shoo! last time before mommy gets scary face." Denix was saying. "stop staring at him like goggle eyed eagles." Yes. Korind not seen toothless or his allies of his for such a short time. A blink of an eye in the life of a night fury. He hadnt flown there, though easier task now as he was fully mature, though not quite as old as his father. He was as the splitting image of silverwing, though most dragons were to polite enough not to compare the two. _Most:_ denix as usual poked fun. No, nor had toothless society payed him a visit since. But maybe someone would. Fly across the sea. Make the journey. Berk. Toothless called it as he and his freed mother torrid spread wings returning here, unsure of what loaw veend in wait for them. he wished their departured been on fairer winds then it had turned out. toothlessd been distant and silent. maybe somedayd thatd all change.

his journey there, broken faithed, crashing on is shores wasnt a subject he discussed openly with other furys. Or the death of abydos or nona. Just his mate and _all_ the dragnets, as the ones coming to hear his tale _again,_ told someone who told someone who gabbled to that dragnet, and so fouth. Korin hoped he didnt make enemies of all the mates mothers here. He felt a paw touching his own. He looked down to see one dragnet left, his own. "couldnt scare that one away" flowed denixs sarcasm, softer warmer " i think she got that defiance from you know who you resemble. The dragon that-no-one-dares-name." "that amazing story. I never tire of hearing it. Bwut about the the other? You said of your two friends? Wut abowt the twird? okay? oak? Daddy hwelp me owt. I cannot wemember." An old light came back into copperwings eye, some of the old pain hed long ago buried so deep with layers of family and laughter and love that its a surprise itd spiked again now.

Dragnets innocents could get you better then any metal tooth pricking. He chose his words with extreme care: much like his fatherd shielded him from all the ugly things his heart been plotting silently without any prior notice. Until it spilled fourth that fateful night he caught his father trying to battle the nest ruler at night, that is. The retreat. his life spared. Nightmares in a murder-path, flying into that cave. What aranidaed done to her. "well...i think you mean obuekhov? Thats the word? Well her story is not one for your ear plates to catch, my dear. It would make you sad. We wouldn't want you being sad would we?" " _he_ would. I think i could manage her learning realism" denix muttering. "sorry little one. Its best i didnt tell. Obuekhovs another story." He turned to denix. "you really need to work on and soften up more on your barbs. Cant you try harder?" she pulled out an annoying scale on her side. Her vanity hadn't changed a bit.

"pfft me? Cant you be less traditional fatherly stuffy like all the rest of these furys? If id not wanted someone else id not Said yes when you proposed. At least you fell for me. I at least have let my ego go over the years, weve been together how long?" thats true. Hed given in and pitied her, after the last war to end all wars against ontonycterys was over, mating season rolled around, no one wanted her right away. Hovering Undecided, looking like no, she certainly didnt need a mate, too proud for one. Sniff sniff. Aw dragonsake, hed relented, taken her in. Been the one fate wouldntve chosen in a million lifecyles, a million million lifecycles to choose. But hed done it. Hed proposed. shed reluctantly said yes. Here they had a wonderful dragnet to call their own. Just like, with loaw ranak branarrs meddling the cause of silverwings bitterness, silverwing and torrid before him. Yes, hed lost practically everything, his three friends, his father his mother to old age, but hed gained so much more by fighting for whats right in the end, he had a family. Fellow nest furys. He was free!

* * *

"i-i dont believe it! its unbelievable!" the call started echoing the following morning. Stretching its tendrils of audio into korins fully developed sleepy ear frills. He yawned, letting denix replay roll, slack jawed, snoring obnoxiously like a hippo with sinus problems, off to the side where shed been flopped comfortingly over his back-spines and flopped wings, oblivious. Typical denix...a feisty dragoness still in her older years, older then him even, age beginning to slow her down a tad. (not openly admitted of course. Heck no!) but still denix. he yawned glancing around as customary daily to see if his dragnet was safe. As usual, in her corner, far away from denixs snoring as possible while still being _in_ the cave. He started over to comfort her when a telling thump outside the cave, a shadowy silhouette made its presence known. Korins tail dragged on the floor, blinking sleepily in the morning sun. Still not used to the new sleep schedule to avoid the moons seduction.

He grew alerter on recognizing the smallish lithe frame. The chest spikes down to his stomach. The carefully tucked close tail, knowing its lethality. The shrewd but calmer quiet eyes, telling years-worth of pain and evil committed in ones name. **Remembering** eyes. Yep. It was him allriht. "vipre:? Whaddyre doing here?" these days he rarely visited korin, perhaps afraid of remembering the horror hed done. The newest nest ruler left him alone. But this time he remembered his identity when broken free. Like him vipre didn't like to dwell on his past or voice it. Hed learned to bury his past acts, though not as successfully. A part of the shadow of charismatic loaw azerosd always haunt him. Being vastly older too, vipred slightly mastered it. He wasn't the scaly forgettable wrecked scarecrow of a dragon now. "yes. I came because the nest ruler requested i do. She hadnt seen you up and about to see it yet." Korin finally registered the hubbub of shouts mingled outside filtering in. "seen what?" vipre turned "come see."

...

Confused, sleepy korin trundled after the fully fledged former fourth leader seeing the lines of dragons down below, hed had half as mind to take his family or at last his mate to join him, knowing her reaction of boredom beyond anything besides herself, but decided against it. Their youngster alone wasnt such a great idea. Shed gotten into trouble before with denix ever so gleeful to deal punishment. korin did the disciplining. "vipre really...why did you drag me out of slumber?" if he readily expected an answer he didnt receive it. He needn'tve bothered down below was the cluster of growing gathering nest furys. Standing not looking one way, pointing not gossiping was their nest ruler. "ah my brother!" she addressed them in a rich deep voice that carried authority but invitingness moving to the side to make room for his landing.

Korin shook his head in a gesture hed given her way more then once. He remained at a hover while vipre took the spot instead. The nest ruler a middle pure red scarlet scaled nest fury, still deferred to him, even though it was she thatd been given the power readily by copperwing. After things settled down hed made her promise to uphold the decent code of law the nest rulerd done before while silverwingd lived. Shes still trying to consider him a powerful figure. "i wondered why you wernt the first out of your cave. youd be surprised. Wheres your mate?" "sleeping." "ah i see. come see who made his way to us. Vipre here remembered him. Did an admirable job of keeping his shock under a wing. Silly thing. I guess being all memory retaining back to the beginning has put us into perspective again. Make way! Make way for the son of silverwing!"

the dragon-that-no-one-dares-name indeed! Korin rolled his eyes discreetly hoping no one looked too intently. "really why does everyone need me here? Im tired and crank-" words left his jawline as the bodies cleared, Shadowed by vipre reclusive as ever. A wrinkled old bloodied dragon, the center of attention. Pointing theatrically the signature holes one of korins deceased dear Friends nonad took the deathblow to his wrinkled chest. His death and the scattering of his former subjects. Or so hed thought, thought so sure. Believed and grieved so hard for. Now was back. There was no mistaking his scale patterns, the wrinkled old, broad winged, huge night fury lit up from ear frill to ear frill. How hed changed. It couldn't be. Just couldn't be.

"ah...s-son...n-nice to see you after...s-so long. Oh happy days. So...good to see you. I needed to l-look upon the wondrous snout of my son. A s-s-son id f-orgpotten in m-my m-madness to t-the...darkness. s-so...good to see you. Oh you look j-just like...me. oh my s-son. You look so handsome...so swell-l. Do you remember m-me?" copperwings heart jumped from his chesty up somewhere into the back of his jaws;. His wings drooped like stones. It was like when he was a younger dragnet all over again in A nindy year old exoskeleton. Viper smiling knowingly the nest ruler nodding encouragingly cheers from the net furys. This was the moment he never dreamed of. not in all the rest of his life, closed that painful past from his life. Lost one to anger and bitterness, to discovering his mother under influence, to lose her to time something even a night fury cant turn back. To find him again. **him!** Uninfluenced. Wrinkled. Disheveled. But really him. there was no mistake. "f-father? Silvering!?"

!THE END!


End file.
